AIE-023-012-IFI
Under the AIE Regs to request records of the barriers assessed using the secondary assessment tool mentioned below.
I-BAST assessment
For primary assessment, Inland Fisheries Ireland has developed the I-BAST (IFI Barrier Assessment and Screening Tool) application as an initial screening and barriers assessment tool. To date, we have surveyed almost 22,600 structures using the I-BAST assessment and a further 175 structures using the secondary assessment.
AIE 6-1-23
Under the AIE Regs to request copies of
1) all Section 50s granted
2) all Section 50s refused
3) all Section 9s granted
4) all Section 9s refused
5) all Section 47s granted
6) all Section 47s refused
Notes:
Section 50: Arterial Drainage Act, 1945 The consent of the Commissioners is required by bodies and persons proposing to carry out construction/alteration works on bridges and culverts.
Section 9: Arterial Drainage Amendment Act, 1995 The Commissioners may consent to alterations to existing watercourses or structures in Drainage Schemes if the proposed works would not increase the risk of flooding or have a negative impact on drainage of land.
Section 47: Arterial Drainage Act, 1945 Any person planning to erect or alter a weir must first get consent from the Commissioners or all the affected landowners.’
Note:
Applications for consents are received across three geographical locations, and Head Office in Trim. They are received in electronic and paper format. While the OPW seek to make a decision on a consent within eight weeks, this is not always possible due to the application contents. The OPW as lead agency for flood risk management in Ireland assess the submitted design proposal, and it may require further communication between parties before a decision may be reached. This may result in the consent being granted some considerable time after the original application date.
Where an application status is marked as ‘request for information’ (RFI), a request from the OPW has issued to the applicant/agent for further/revised information.
The applications and subsequent communications contain large amounts of personal data, and the OPW must be mindful of the General Data Protection Act, when considering the release of data.
Schedule
List of consents
Construction, Replacement or Alteration of Bridges and Culverts – A Guide to Applying for Consent under Section 50 of the Arterial Drainage Act, 1945
Sample Consent
Download the list of consents in Excel
Under the AIE Regs to request records of the circa 175 barriers assessed using the secondary assessment tool mentioned below
For the purposes of this AIE please provide the records in the electronic format held by IFI
I-BAST assessment
For primary assessment, Inland Fisheries Ireland has developed the I-BAST (IFI Barrier Assessment and Screening Tool) application as an initial screening and barriers assessment tool. To date, we have surveyed almost 22,600 structures using the I-BAST assessment and a further 175 structures using the secondary assessment.’
The register lists all barrier currently assessed (SNIFFER assessment) and includes an indication of whether a report is available (column k in excel file).
To date the register includes 232 structures, 56 of which have a report completed and available.
Please note that some of these reports are catchment wide reports and encompass all barriers assessed within that catchment. e.g. Boyne catchment
Attached the register of barriers assessed with this letter. This lists in a high-level record what I consider within the scope of your request. It provides a brief description of barriers assessed and any subsequent records related to it. e.g., Reports and or drone imagery.
Please note that each row has a corresponding SNIFFER excel assessment, this assessment contains the measurement data in raw format e.g. height/ width /head height/ velocity etc. of each barrier.
Records of Interest
If you could please indicate which specific barriers/ reports are of interest to you by returning the register with the relevant rows/ columns highlighted. We will endeavour to extract the records within the timeframe remaining. If the number of records is likely to exceed the timeframe remaining, we will correspond with you to agree a schedule of release of the relevant records.
Please note that if any drone imagery is requested, we will facilitate you by providing access to view the relevant records by laptop in a suitable IFI office. Currently we do not have the facility to share the data electronically due to the size of the files concerned.
We can provide you with an example of the raw SNIFFER excel assessment of a barrier, to help you ascertain if the record is what you require.
Design, fabrication and installation of two smolt sluice gates at Cathleen’s Falls and Cliff hydro stations.
https://irl.eu-supply.com/ctm/Supplier/PublicPurchase/239283/1
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is the statutory body with the responsibility for the protection, development, and management of the inland fishery resource within the state. As part of their responsibility to manage the fish stocks on the Upper River Inny at Castlecor Weir, it is proposed to hire the services of a consulting firm to prepare an options report for fish pass improvement works at the weir, considering all environmental and engineering circumstances that are present at the site upstream and downstream. IFI wishes to appoint consultants to prepare an options report, based on a number of environmental and technical surveys and using a recognised decision matrix, present a preferred option for fish pass improvement works at Castlecor Weir.
Following the approval of the preferred option, the consultants will then be required to prepare design, calculations, and drawings of the preferred option. These will be sent to the Department of Environment, Climate and Communication, and OPW for licences and approvals. The consultant will be required to prepare a planning application of the preferred option for Meath Local Authority, following the granting of planning permission, the consultant will be required to prepare construction drawings and tender documents for the hire of a construction company. The consultant will also be required to assist IFI in the tender assessment and the appointment of the successful construction company. The consultant will then be required to oversee the construction phase of the preferred option and sign off on the completed project. Please see the attached pricing schedule for more information. The design will take account of cost, constructability, maintenance, disturbance, and other structural and ecological implications. (Please see Scoping and Service Requirement document for further information)
AIE-022-025-IFI
In 2021-22 IFI removed and replaced 4 culvert barriers to fish migration. This involved removing historic concrete pipe culverts and replacing them with clear span bridge. Facilitating unimpacted fish passage through the culvert. This was done in collaboration with the local county councils.
Example
There are 2 projects listed under barrier mitigation that were completed in 2022. They are Ballinacarrig and Owenglen. A fish pass was installed at Ballinacarrig and a fish pass was repaired on the Owenglen.
2021 Ops Dev sheet also listed one barrier mitigation project at Castlerea. While the project was completed in 2021, the barrier was actually removed in 2018.
In summary; no barriers to fish passage were recorded as removed by IFI in the Ops Development reports in 2021 or 2022
River Boyne Catchment Management Programme – Martry Weir Fish Pass planned for 2023 (rock ramp)
South Cumbria Rivers Trust project to remove Bowston weir, on the River Kent at Bowston near Burneside in South Cumbria. It is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
Noteworthy project due to the level of transparency on the project
