LAWPRO

July 2020

Within the public drinking water source protection area for Drumcliff springs which
supplies Ennis

Hydromorphology (land reclamation)

Small point sources (DWWTS and farmyards)

One operational limestone quarry within the Shallee_010 sub-basin but it discharges
under S4 licence to the Fergus_040 waterbody to the north

EPA licensed facility located beside the quarry (Licence no. P0771) which discharges to ground within the sub basin. There is no process water discharged, only surface water which is discharged to ground from settlement ponds. The discharge is licensed for suspended solids and pH.

Clogrennane Lime Limited (Clare) (CRH)

https://goo.gl/maps/jmhDF5pNnGsT4ZhM7

A quicklime production facility comprising of; Maerz PFR kiln and auxiliary plant, and storage silos

https://epawebapp.epa.ie/licences/lic_eDMS/rss/P0771-02.xml

Non operational limestone quarry at Fountain (closed 2010)

LAWPRO

June 2020

Pressures indicated for Tyshe are agriculture and domestic wastewater

The elevated ammonia concentrations could also indicate the presence of farmyard point sources.

Six domestic wastewater systems with high – very high P impact potential along the north and south tributaries of the Tyshe

Agriculture and urban wastewater are listed as the significant pressures

New WWTP for Ardfert was installed in 2017

Dewatering at the Section 4 quarry

The quarry has a section 4 license and is being dewatered – approximately 2500 m3/d on average

Drinking water abstraction at Ardfert South comes under strain in dry summer

Nitrate concentrations are consistently high

Chloride concentrations are consistently high

Elevated nutrients, including orthophosphate, ammonium and nitrate, as well as sediment, are the
significant issues

Hydromorphology
The Tyshe River, falls within the Banna Drainage District. Kerry County Council has a statutory duty to maintain this Drainage District. The River Tyshe flows to the sea at Blackrock. The outfall at Blackrock is vulnerable to blockage from build-up of sand (Flood Risk Management Plan for the Tralee Bay-Feale River Basin, 2018). Sand and seaweed are excavated out of the channel opening. These works currently take place at least every two weeks, but this can be daily in the winter months. The annual cost of these works is estimated at approximately €150,000. The drainage systems back up when this outfall at Blackrock is not clear. Maintenance work is also carried out to keep tidal flaps, approx. 600m upstream of the outfall, functioning. Sluice gates are manually operated to close on high tides to prevent tide backing up on Tyshe River, once every few weeks (Flood Risk Management Plan for the Tralee Bay-Feale River Basin, 2018). As part of a national Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment, discontinuing the existing regime of removing silt and debris from the outfall at Blackrock is being explored