Transcript Environment Department, Cork County Council

Environment Directorate
Cork County Council
1899 - 1999
A Century of Service
Protection of Source Water
Used For Drinking Water
Purposes
Jacinta Reynolds, Senior Scientist
Issues to be covered
 CONTEXT OF SOURCE PROTECTION
 CORK COUNTY COUNCIL INITIATIVES
 “CULTURE CHANGE”
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WATER SAFETY PLAN
 Protecting Water Supplies from catchment
to tap - Concept adopted by WHO
 UK DWI
• “A WSP is the most effective way of ensuring that a water
supply is safe for human consumption and that it meets
the health based standards and other regulatory
requirements.
• It is based on a comprehensive risk assessment and risk
management approach to all the steps in a water supply
chain from catchment to consumer”
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2007 EPA Report: The Provision &
Quality of Drinking Water in Ireland
 SAFE Drinking water supply – if it meets
quality standards each time the supply is
tested
 SECURE supply - if there is in place a
management system that has identified all
potential risks to the source & supply and
reduction measures to manage these.
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CORK COUNTY
c230 public supply sources in County
Size & organisational structure
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Cork County – Water Quality Pressures
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Rivers 1,200km main channel, 2,000km strms
Farms c14,000.
Area Farmed 539,000 ha (12% of the State)
Total Cattle 1,120,600 (14.6% of Nat. herd)
Dairy Cows 313,400 (23.8% of Nat. herd)
Pigs (20 % of Nat. herd)
 MWWTPs est 150
 Licensed Industrial discharges >300
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Traditional Approach to Source
Protection
 Sectoral
 Insufficient coordination & partnership
 Lack of cross functional approach
 Lack of multidisciplinary thinking
 Choice of location -sometimes convenient rather than
most appropriate
 Lack of information on appropriate buffer zones
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STARTING PREMISE
Quality needs to be the supreme
driver
TOP DOWN & BOTTOM UP
APPROACH
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BOTTOM UP APPROACH
Facilitated through
1. SI 378 of 2006 – Nitrate Regs – Article 17
2. Water Framework Directive Investigative
Programme
3. Risk Assessment Cryptosporidium Screening
Tool
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SI 378 of 2006 Nitrate Regulations Article 17
EC (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2006
17(2) Organic fertiliser or soiled water shall not be
applied to land within –
a)
Subject to sub article (5), 200m of the abstraction
point of any surface watercourse, borehole, spring or
well used for the abstraction of water for human
consumption in a water scheme supplying 100m3 or
more water/day or serving 500 or more persons.
b)
Subject to sub article (5), 100m of the abstraction
point of any surface watercourse, borehole, spring or
well used for the abstraction of water for human
consumption in a water scheme supplying 10m3 or
more water per day or serving 50 persons.
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17(3) Where farmyard manure is held in a field
prior to land spreading it shall be held in a
compact heap and shall not be placed within
–
a)
250m of the abstraction point of any surface
watercourse, borehole, spring or well used for the
abstraction of water for human consumption in a
water scheme supplying 10m3 or more of water per
day or serving 50 or more persons.
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1. Article 17 - Drinking Water Buffer Zone
Project
Phase 1 (April 2007)
 Locate public abstraction sources.
 90 sources >100m3 (>500 persons)
 Land registry searches in 200m & 250m buffer zones
 IFA consultation
 Notify c270 landowners
Phase 2 (June 2008 - 2009)
 131 sources >10m3 (>50 persons)
 Land registry search in 100m & 250m buffer zones
 Notify c400 landowners.
 Farm inspections within zones
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Letter & Maps Outlining Obligations under Article 17
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Initial issues arising in 2007/2008
 2,791 Agric planning applications 2006/2007
 Lack of definitive GIS county source list
 Slow progress of land registry searches to
identify legal landowners
• Substantial lands not registered – use local
knowledge
• Access to Dept of Agri land parcel identification
system would minimize this
 Phased basis – 33%
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Phase 3 - 2009
 17(2) & 17(3) - fixed buffer zones
 17(5) - Guidance issued by EPA on amendment of
buffer zones (EPA Guidance Note, March 2008, Article 17(5))
 Emerging work by GSI & WFD on ZoC, SPAs
Safeguard zones, DWPA
 Review fixed zones, EPA consultation process. modify
zones as relevant
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2. Source Protection- Utilisation of New Techniques
GIS and Small Streams Risk Score tools.
2006 Pilot Project in collaboration with the SWRBD
 SSRS Tool - WRBD/EPA - Rapid field method for risk assessment
based solely on macro invertebrates
 RBD teams have gathered extensive data in GIS format
 Council Staff trained in SSRS
 Field trialled - followed up with investigative work.
2007/2008 WFD Investigative Programme
 Primary Driver - Protection of surface drinking water abstractions
 Criteria - Abstraction & Q value < 4 or Q value deteriorating.
 SSRS tool to prioritise within catchment areas
 Refocus Prioritised County Farm survey programme.
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2008 Preparation of National Guidance for
Investigative Monitoring of Agricultural Pollution
 SWRBD tasked nationally to prepare Guidance
 Harmonise approach by local authorities in enforcing
various
 laws related to pollution from agricultural activities
 Working group convened (LA, DoEHLG, DoAg, EPA &
SWRBD)
 Develop Guidance & training programmes
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3.Use of Cryptosporidium Risk Screening
Tool
 Large part of RA relates to source protection Activities in whole catchment important
 Focus protection measures - Assist in
prioritising work programmes & improvement
works.
 Opportunity to harness potential of staff on the
ground
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River Clyda SSRS Project 2007 – Mallow Abstraction
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Inniscarra
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Charleville Water Groundwater Supply
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TOP DOWN APPROACH
Source Protection is a cross functional
issue.
Requires multidisciplinary approach
& strategic thinking
at county level
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Integrating Source Protection through Cross
Functional Initiatives
Source protection is something we have always being doing, but
no department can work in isolation
STRATEGIC REFOCUSING
 Single point of responsibility for operational delivery & county coordination of
water services,
 Now vested in the Northern Divisional Assistant County Manager
 Signifying top level commitment
 WSIP Project Office formed
 Consolidated management of major projects into single office
 Single point of responsibility for project delivery is vested in the County
Engineer
 Maximize efficiencies in delivery
 Gives us the efficiency to allow us to move forward strategically
 Water Quality Group & Management Team Monthly briefings
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Forums for Dialogue, Consultation &
Planning
Harnessing Expertise & Commitment
 Protocols: 2003 Environment/Water Services, 2004
HSE, 2008 EPA Protocol
 2006 Needs Assessment
 2007 CDP – SEA, LAPs, CASP - review
 Divisional Part 8 applications and Developer
partnerships MWWTP upgrades.
 Protection through Planning applications 2,532 (2007),
617 (2004) & licensing
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What works for Source Protection
 Culture change – move from sectoral to cross
working with other Directorates & Agencies to
protect sources – top down commitment
 Multidiscipinary teams to bring a range of
expertise to bear
 Quality needs to be the prime driver when
reviewing needs, developing infrastructure &
creating policy.
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THANK YOU
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