Table 3SWMI – Water Matters

– Topics –

1 Dangerous Substances

2 Forestry

3 Septic Tanks

(Unsewered Properties)

Shannon International River Basin District

Usage & discharge of dangerous substances

– Background – • Used across all sectors of society

• Households, medicines, industry, forestry, agriculture,

• small businesses, mines, construction sites, water

treatment, run-off from roads and paved areas and

engine exhausts

• Increased usage

• No complete register of these substances

– Impact on waters –• Persistent, toxic and accumulating substances

• Protected areas (bathing and shellfish waters, protected habitats/wildlife)

– Existing controls – • Water quality standards• Monitoring programmes• Emission controls – IPPC licenses, EPER (European Pollution Emission

Register), Seveso Directive, Water Acts, Dangerous Substances & Phosphorus Regulations, Pesticides Authorisations, Aquaculture Licenses

– Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD objectives ? –• New range of substances to be controlled, new method of calculating

water standards – new water quality standards to be set• Licensing, authorization and monitoring systems require updating to

address the new water standards • Periodic updates required

Usage & discharge of dangerous substances

– What additional controls are proposed? • New water quality regulations for WFD classification systems

– Set by EPA

– Monitoring programmes – EPA and MI

• New regulation of WWTP, storm overflows• Review and revision of IPPC and Water Pollution discharge licences will also be

necessary to meet new water quality standards• REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals)• Review of authorised substances – PCS etc

• Studies underway to;– Identify substances which require monitoring and control

– Usage inventories

– Risk assessment systems• Stakeholders affected: Local authorities + industries and commercial activities producing, using,

handling, storing or discharging to sewer or water

Usage & discharge of dangerous substances

Dangerous Substances Monitoring

Forestry

– Background – • 10% of Ireland’s land area – to rise to 17% in

next 30 years • 75% coniferous • 57% state owned – managed by Coillte• Newer private forests - higher broadleaf proportions, more future felling

– Impact on waters –• Acidification• Nutrient enrichment• Sedimentation• Flow pattern changes• Pesticide contamination• Protected areas (bathing and shellfish waters, protected habitats/wildlife)

Forestry

– Existing controls – • Forest Service – Sustainable Forest Management as supported by the Irish

National Forest Standard, code of best forest practice and environmental guidelines

• Forestry Act – control of felling

• Aerial fertilisation regulations

– Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD objectives ? –• Current legislation and guidance may require further strengthening as

research findings become available

• For example – protection of sensitive species and clear felling licenses

Forestry

– What additional controls are proposed? • Implementation of more stringent actions established by scientific

evaluation in sensitive areas

• Studies underway;– Map sensitive areas– Updated codes and guidance including buffer zones, managing coup size,

sediment control etc– Register of chemical usage– Monitoring programmes

• Stakeholders affected: Forestry sector – public and private plantation + saw-milling and processing industries

Forestry

Unsewered properties

– Background – • 30% of the population are currently unsewered • 230 million litres of wastewater a day • Single dwellings, clusters of houses, commercial

premises and light industries• One in five properties built since 1991 have septic tanks = 100,000 homes• Galway, Roscommon, Donegal and Monaghan are the counties with the highest rate of unsewered property development

• One third of facilities inspected in Cavan in 2002 were defective

– Impact on waters –• Water pollution – nutrients, chemicals and bacteria• If tanks and percolation systems are not sited and working properly, surface and groundwater contamination

• Protected areas (drinking waters, bathing and shellfish waters, protected habitats/wildlife)

Unsewered properties

– Existing controls – • Planning and development act supported by DEHLG best practice

guidance and EPA guidance manuals

• Water pollution acts and Bye-laws

– Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD objectives ? –• Current guidance relates to single dwellings and additional guidance is

needed for housing clusters

Unsewered properties

– What additional controls are proposed? • Updated guidance

• Studies underway;– New developments to be sited were adequate conditions exist– New development restricted at inappropriate sites– Integration of plans– Site testing and design standards– Sites at high risk from existing systems will be identified– Consideration of main sewers and tank maintenance requirements in

vulnerable areas– Monitoring systems

• Stakeholders affected: Developers and property owners, industrial and commercial enterprises in unsewered areas

Unsewered properties