Averil Gannon, DHLGH
29/09/2022
Urban Waste Water and Urban Runoff Pressures
Urban Waste Water
Doonbeg Priority Area for Action Desktop Report
LAWPRO
Nov 2020
WFD app shows the water quality at Kilmihil stream is at Poor status due to elevated nutrient concentrations
WFD app indicates that sediment is the significant issue and the pressures are possibly forestry and/or an operational quarry upstream
Licence Register No. A0091-01 Kilmihil
The phosphate is likely to be reaching the river through discharge from UWWTP (Kilmihil Urban Waste Water Treatment Plant). Kilmihil wastewater treatment plant was identified in the EPA initial characterisation as the sole significant pressure on the Kilmihil Stream waterbody
EPA notes that this plant is overloaded (i.e. raw sewage is discharging untreated or partially treated to the river)
Kilmihil licence file: https://epawebapp.epa.ie/licences/lic_eDMS/rss/A0091-01.xml
Latest filings:
No waste water treatment facility in the village of Cooraclare
Forestry on peat soils
Operational quarry on Tullagower Stream, Section 4 licensed facility (former quarry, now a waste recycling/recovery facility).
Note: Cannot locate quarry/recycling center, or related section 4 license, and not referenced by name in report. Maybe Tullagower Quarries ? waste farm plastics ?
Urban Waste Water Agglomerations Impacting on Freshwater Pearl Mussel
This shows all urban areas where improvements to waste water discharges are required to protect freshwater pearl mussel.
The standards set in each EPA waste water discharge licence have been set to achieve the requirements of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive and the Water Framework Directive, including the requirement to protect freshwater pearl mussel.
This data set shows all waste water treatment plants in agglomerations (towns/cities) where improvements are required to protect freshwater pearl mussel.
https://gis.epa.ie/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/8af256f3-0f92-4d6f-9828-f93042f873a2
Note:
Formats provided do not obviously display the list of sites, needs checking
eg Kanturk Wastewater Treatment Plant
Does not include private/commercial waste waste treatment sites impacting on FPM
Register of Protected Areas – Nutrient Sensitive Areas
These nutrient sensitive areas are those waterbodies listed in accordance with the Urban Waste Water Treatment (UWWT) Directive 91/271/EEC on Urban Waste Water Treatment and S.I. 254 / 2001, S.I. 440/2004 and S.I. 48/2010. The waterbody containing the sensitive area is used to represent the nutrient sensitive area.
https://data.gov.ie/dataset/register-of-protected-areas-nutrient-sensitive-areas
EPA: Environmental Liabilities Risk Assessment spreadsheet
This is an Excel spreadsheet for Urban Waste Water Treatment Plants for Environmental Liabilities Risk Assessment
Risk Matrix
Pre AIE request:
Are risk assessments spreadsheets mandatory? and if so where are they published?
Urban Waste Water Treatment in 2020
This report provides an overview of urban waste water treatment in Ireland during 2020. It highlights the key issues that Irish Water must address, as a priority, to protect our environment from the harmful effects of waste water discharges.
Areas that failed EU treatment standards in 2020
Areas discharging raw sewage
Areas prioritised to protect surface waters
Areas prioritised to protect freshwater pearl mussels
Urban Waste Water Treatment Plant Locations
This is a point dataset of the waste water treatment plants in agglomerations (towns/cities) with a population equivalent of over 500 during 2006, 2007 and 2008, and were reported on and assessed for compliance under The Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations, 2001 (S.I. No. 254 of 2001) and 2004 (S.I. 440 of 2004).
https://data.gov.ie/dataset/urban-waste-water-treatment-plant-locations
Implementation Strategy for Nature Based Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems
A working group has been established jointly by the CCMA and DHLGH to oversee the development of a project scope to deliver an implementation strategy for nature based Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems on a national scale.
This strategy will support the City and County Development plans in the implementation of nature based solutions to surface water
management through water sensitive urban designs.
The provision of interim guidance documentation to the Local and Planning Authorities on measures to be implemented to support the delivery of a greater focus on nature based solutions in advance of a national implementation strategy is also called out in the plan.
Further actions also include:
- The National Bathing Water Expert Group to undertake a project to determine the most suitable approach to protecting bathers’ health outside of the current bathing season in Dublin Bay.
- DHLGH to amend the existing Bathing Water Regulations (S.I. No. 79 of 2008) to provide discretion to local authorities on determining the bathing season for individual bathing waters.
- Establish a programme for the modelling and monitoring of rainwater run-off and overflows.
- Oversee the preparation of integrated urban drainage management plans.
River Urban Waste Water Pressures
Significant pressures have been identified for waterbodies that are At Risk of not meeting their water quality objectives under the Water Framework Directive. While there are a multitude of pressures in every waterbody, the significant pressures are those pressures which need to be addressed in order to improve water quality. Many of our waterbodies have multiple significant pressures. A robust scientific assessment process has been carried out to determine which pressures are the significant pressures. This has incorporated over 140 datasets, a suite of modelling tools, and local knowledge from field and enforcement staff from the Local Authorities, Inland Fisheries Ireland and EPA. Impacts from urban waste water include nutrient and organic pollution. Urban Waste Water pressures are subcategorised into combined sewer overflows, Agglomeration PE >10,000, Agglomeration PE 2001 to 10,000, Agglomeration PE 1001 to 2000, Agglomeration PE 500 to 1000 and Agglomeration PE <500. (population equivalence)
https://data.gov.ie/dataset/river-urban-waste-water-pressures?package_type=dataset
Urban Waste Water Treatment Plant Locations
This is a point dataset of the waste water treatment plants in agglomerations (towns/cities) with a population equivalent of over 500 during 2006, 2007 and 2008, and were reported on and assessed for compliance under The Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations, 2001 (S.I. No. 254 of 2001) and 2004 (S.I. 440 of 2004).
https://data.gov.ie/dataset/urban-waste-water-treatment-plant-locations