On 17 and 18 June 2020 the EPA held its National Water Event as an online conference. This presentation was by Con McLaughlin, Donegal County Council and Andy Griggs, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon District Council. This year's theme was 'Restoring our waters'. This years event was free to attend. It was the EPA's largest water event ever, with over 1250 attending. To everyone who joined us: thanks for attending; thanks for your probing questions; thanks for your passion; thanks for caring about our waters. We can achieve more working together. Special thanks to all our presenters and the team who worked behind the scenes to make sure this years conference happened. For science and stories about water quality in Ireland, check out www.catchments.ie

1. EPA NationalWater Event 2020 Online Conference
Restoring Our Waters
ImprovingWater Quality in cross border Catchments
18th June 202018 June 2020

2. • €13.8 million over 5 years to October 2022
• EU Programme for N. Ireland, Border Region & Western
Scotland
• Match funding kindly provided by the
 Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government
in Ireland and the
 Department of Agricultural,Environment and Rural
Affairs in Northern Ireland
• CatchmentCARE is funded under Priority Axis 2 –
Environment,Priority 2b – Invest in Water Sector, Objective
2.4 – Improve freshwater quality in river basins
• I would like to credit our Project Partners for some of the
slides to follow

3. Project Outputs:
Establish 3 water quality improvement
projects
1. Arney catchment
(304km2)(304km2)
2. Blackwater catchment
(1,500km2)
3. Finn catchment
(494km2)
Install 50 groundwater monitoring
stations across the region

4. The Project will be delivered through a combination of . .
- policy actions
- catchment and water body actions
- enhancing the capacity of local stakeholders to
contribute to improvements in water quality
. . . very relevant for this mornings
‘Communities in Action’ theme
My colleague Andy Griggs, will focus on the
community aspect in the second half of this
presentation

5. Recent trends in water
quality at a glance . .
Mary Gurrie,EPA
Water Quality in Ireland 2013-2018

6. GIS Dashboard ‘WFD Status’– FINN (based on EPA data)

7. Scoping work package. .
Detailed‘story-maps’
which describe the
CatchmentCatchment
characterisations
can be found
on our project website ..
www.catchmentcare.eu

8. Loughs Agency are leading out on
• Water quality improvement schemes
to include in-stream and riparian
AT THE FINN . .
to include in-stream and riparian
improvements;
• Removal of barriers to migration
across three catchments;
• Investigate Chemical Export issue
and mitigating measures required to
address that;
• Sheep dipping and forestry have
been highlighted as areas for
mitigation.

9. Desk Study to
identify sites for
surveying
Survey sites and
complete data
Submit the NIS to
Create an NIS
(Natura Impact
Assessment).
Seek planning
permission /
Erect site notice
Identify the type
of tender
The approach required in the
Finn (Protected Area):
• Natura Impact Statement
• Notifiable Actions Consent
• Planning Permission Docs
• Site Location and Layout maps
complete data
analysis
Prioritise areas in
terms of need for
enhancement
works.
Site Walkovers to
identify action for
works.
Meet landowners
re potential plans
/ gain landowner
permission.
Determine the
definite course of
action & methods
of works.
Submit the NIS to
NPWS
of tender
documents
needed for works
Tender process /
select successful
contractor +
commence works
Monitoring of
works delivery.
• Site Location and Layout maps
• Elevation Blueprints
• Work Specifications
• Tender Documents
• Landowner permissions
• Landowner Appeasement

10. GIS
Forestry
dashboard
with some
priority
areas
identifiedidentified
for action
to address
the
chemical
export
issue

11. GIS
Sheep dip
dashboard
with some
clusters
identified
to helpto help
focus on
areas for
action to
address
the
chemical
export
issue

12. AT THE ARNEY:
The Groundwater Team are progressing . .
Data loggers deployed at/near groundwater risings –
Electrical conductivity,temperature,water level at 11
sites including Marble Arch and Cladagh river with 5
other sites to be monitored.other sites to be monitored.
Possible drilling locations – Mill street (NW of
catchment in sandstone)
Marble Arch caves – provides very good opportunity for
linking with UNESCO Geopark
GW Team are collaborating with one of our
community groups –on dye tracing in karst locations
which has great potential

13. AT THE ARNEY:
IFI are progressing various
In-stream & Riparian
works in conjunction with
landowners;
Working through AA
Screening and liaising with
DAERA/ DfI/ OPW on
consents required
Working with Community
Groups and with the GW
Team;

14. AT THE
BLACKWATER:
ABC / IFI are progressing
various In-stream & Riparian
works in conjunction withworks in conjunction with
landowners
Also liaising with DAERA/ DfI/
OPW on consents required
ABC are working with the
farming community (soil
sampling) in conjunction with
AFBI

15. Evaluation of Farm Nutrient Management Practices
Farm scale study,agronomic trial,Farmyard surveys,
soil P
Main driver - changes to zero or low P inputs
Evaluation of the Lag-Time in Achieving
AT THE BLACKWATER:
Agri-food & Biosciences Institute (Afbi) work
on 17 selected farms includes . .
Evaluation of the Lag-Time in Achieving
WFD Nutrient Targets for waterbodies
Catchment modelling,Lake sediment coring/sediment
re-suspension in conjunction with UU
Evaluation of the cost effectiveness and cost benefit
of achieving theWFD objectives
Farm optimisation modelling
Harmonizing the Soil Phosphorus Index Systems
Examining the relationship between Olsen and Morgan

16. Harmonizing the Soil Phosphorus Index Systems
10% (56 samples) were sent to Teagasc Johnstown
Castle for quality control,
To ensure that the AFBI and Teagasc analyses areTo ensure that the AFBI and Teagasc analyses are
consistent
200 samples sent for textural analysis to indicate
whether the relationship between Olsen and Morgan
Phosphorus was influenced by soil type.

17. Afbi are also delivering work
with willows including:
Potential for mitigation of
diffuse pollution
In conjunction with UU, point
source discharge fromWWtWs
- construction of 3no src
willow enhancements to
wastewater treatment
schemes within sensitive
catchments

18. Paper to follow!
An assessment of
stakeholder
Sub – catchment approx. 22ha
Afbi) work on diffuse pollution includes . .
stakeholder
commitment to the
principle of SRC
willow planting
and how this fits
with national
strategies

19. Paper to follow!
An assessment of
stakeholder
commitment to the
principle of SRC willow
Afbi) work on diffuse pollution includes . .
principle of SRC willow
planting and how this
fits with national
strategies
Separate Conference
held in Dundalk at
5th March 2020
see presentation on
www.catchmentcare.eu

20. Afbi) work on diffuse pollution
includes . .
Paper to follow!
An assessment of stakeholder
commitment to the principle ofcommitment to the principle of
SRC willow planting and how this
fits with national strategies
Positive interest in a Conference
held in Dundalk at 5th March
2020,see presentation on
www.catchmentcare.eu

21. Ulster University (UU) are progressing work:
1) on the feasibility of lake remediation via phosphorus-fixing. .
Draft reports, (Risk assessment & Ecological effects) of the
of aluminium and iron salts on lakes, submitted to the
two environment agencies / WIP!
2) with AFBI on the hydrological connectivity & point source
pollution at Liscooley (Finn) & Cavanagrow (Blackwater)
Monitoring up-stream & down-stream of discharge points
Biological monitoring - Diatom and Chlorophyll-A
Concrete block with tiles u/p & d/s - Algal growth substrate
BenthoTorch
Soluble Reactive Phosphorus (SRP)

22. Ulster University (UU) are working (with Afbi) on the evaluation of lagtime
in achievingWFD nutrient targets in Lakes and Rivers
This work package seeks to establish the extent of the internal phosphorus load to
Upper and Lower Lough Macnean from sediment and suspended sediment.
The work will have two main focuses:
Analysis of the phosphorus fractions of cores taken from the lakes in order to
establish phosphorus concentrations present & dated in order to establish a
timescale for recovery for the lakes
Deployment of sediment traps in the lakes to evaluate the volume of suspended
sediment present in the lakes during differing weather conditions.
Coring sites at Lower &
Upper Lough Macnean

23. Provide
recommendat
ions
Assist with
X border representation from:
• Loughs Agency (Chair)
• DCC
Project Governance –
Steering Group with 3 Sub Committees
WFD
Sub-
Committ
ee
Identify issues
and solutions
Liaise with
other sub-
committees
Act as a
facilitator to
both
jurisdictions
Assist with
knowledge
transfer and
best practice
• DCC
• EPA
• DAERA
• IFI
• DoAFM
(Forestry/WFD/Agricultural)
• DoHPLG (Water Advisory Unit)
• OPW
• GSI
• DfI Rivers
WFD Co-ordination Sub Committee

24. Thank you –
I’ll hand you over to Andy
Griggs now who will focus
on Community engagement
for the remainder of this
presentation

25. • Plan and execute a programme of activities that satisfies the
identified needs of the stakeholder groups
• Engage landowners,farmers and local interest groups to develop a
shared understanding of the challenges facing individual catchments
in order to then agree specific actions and implement them
CatchmentCARE Communication Objectives
in order to then agree specific actions and implement them
• Maximise public interest in the work and ultimately to heighten
awareness of water quality issues and management.
• Inform relevant regional and national organisations of the value of
the work, particularly to encourage collaboration with organisations
that have an environmental or technical interest
• Inform government,academia and industry of the value and
availability of the information and to encourage these sectors to use
the new data in improving environmental management in the project
area.

26. 1. Press Releases
2. Events
3.Website – www.catchmentcare.eu
4. Social media presence – Facebook / Twitter / Instagram /
You Tube
CatchmentCARE Communication Methods
You Tube
5. Community engagement events
6. Newsletters
7. Brochure
8. Factsheet
9 Fliers
10. Info graphic(s)
11. Resources for schools
12. Resources for farmers and industry

27. • Support communities to take innovative approaches
to looking after and caring for their local river
systems including associated lakes.
• 17 projects funded across the 3 Catchments in 2019
Community Incentive Scheme (CIS)
• 17 projects funded across the 3 Catchments in 2019
• CatchmentCARE staff helping to develop and
deliver project in partnership with groups –
including procurement process
• Access projects,Education programmes,Training
for group members, Equipment supply,
Interpretation,Community action days, Bioblitzes all
funded
• Successful element of CC to date with huge potential
for positive legacy to the project

28. 17
11
3
3

30. Education Programmes
- Successful pilot education programme rolled
out in 2019 (April – June), 8 schools in 3
Catchments
- 200 pupils involved / 17 teachers & assistants- 200 pupils involved / 17 teachers & assistants
- 4 Catchment Films developed with Drone
Footage on local rivers.All narrated by the
children as part of their ‘River Journey’ – can be
viewed on CatchmentCAREYouTube Channel
or www.facebook.com/catchmentCARE
- Further education programmes developed for
2020 - teacher training included

31. Community Engagement Sub Committee
- The project has a Community sub Committee which meets on a bi-annual basis
- Its role is to provide strategic advice to the project team on the direction and implementation of
community engagement work across the three catchments and to share any new knowledge
gained through the course of the project with NGOs and the community sectorgained through the course of the project with NGOs and the community sector
- The sub committee is made up of the statutory,Community / NGO and local government sectors
- Included on the current committee are representatives from LAWCO, NIEA, River Blackwater
Catchment Trust, IFA, UFU, NI Forest Service,IFI, Mid Ulster Council,Monaghan County Council,
Ballinderry Rivers Trust, Donegal County Council & Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough
Council.

33. Thank you