Slaney Upper Water Management Unit Action Plan
Name Slaney Upper Water Management Unit
Area 260 km2
River Basin District South Eastern RBD
Main Counties Wicklow, Carlow
Protected Areas
Slaney River SACSlaney River Valley SACHoldenstown Bog SACWicklow Mountains SACWicklow Mountains SPA2drinking water abstractions from Slaney River and Little Slaney River
Sectoral Total Phosphorus Source (This does not imply impact)
0102030405060708090
%
STATUS/IMPACTS
Overall status 13 RWB - 1 High, 11 Good, 1 Moderate. No lakes.
Status elements Q score dictates status in all but one monitored WB, where Hydromorph and Fish bring it down from High to Good (Little Slaney River). Phys Chemical status is high where monitored. Status was extrapolated for 7 good WBs. Chemical status passes where monitored (1 water body, Slaney River main channel)
Possible Impacts - EPA Water Quality 2004
Brown’s Beck Brook - (SE_12_825 - Good); Major improvement but presence of
filamentous algae indicative of nutrient enrichment.
Carrigower - (SE_12_1535 - Moderate); Distinctly over-enriched at Merginstown
bridge in 2007. Sewage and Agriculture suspected.
Slaney - (SE_12_1524 - Good); Upper reaches of Slaney in this WMU are at Good
ecological condition.
PRESSURES/RISKS
Nutrient sources 84% of TP is Diffuse, 78% of which is from Agriculture. 16% of TP comes from WWTP.
Point pressures 5 WWTP (Rathvilly, Tullow, Baltinglass, Donard, Stratford);
3 WTP (Knockanarrigan, Tullowphelim, Rathvilly);
4 Section 4s - fish farm, DoD, Private Company, Army Camp.
3 EPA Licensed Waste Facilities
Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP) and Industrial Discharges
WWTP’s at Risk:
Rathvilly
Tullow WWTP
Baltinglass 1 WWTP
1 section 4 - at risk from existing and future insufficient assimilative capacities for BOD and Nutrients.
Quarries, Mines & Landfills 14 Quarry, 2 Landfills, no waterbodies at risk
Agriculture Small area of WMU at risk - low-lying areas to the west of the WMU.
On-site systems There are 2239 septic tanks in this WMU, none of them are posing a risk to water quality due to their density, location and unsuitable hydrogeological conditions.
Forestry No waterbodies at risk from forestry. Knickeen and Little Slaney will more than likely deteriorate during and after felling.
Dangerous substances No waterbodies at risk from Dangerous Substances.
Morphology No waterbodies at risk. ERFB comment (060509) that most of the Carrigower has been altered in the past and there is regular maintenance / deepening of a significant section in the Merginstown Area. Also an impassable Structure on The N81 Br. over the Tuckmill Trib (12_1728) – a concrete apron with a significant drop.
Abstractions 13 abstractions - 1 risk (SE_12_1398)
Other None
Slaney Upper Water Management Unit Action PlanRiver Status
High
Good
Moderate
Poor
Bad
Yet to be determined
SELECTED ACTION PROGRAMMENB All relevant basic measures, general supplementary measures and SEA mitigation measures apply
Point Sources WWTP – refer to Table below
INDUSTRY
Examine the terms of discharge authorisations to determine whether they require review for the purpose of compliance with water body objectives including protected area objectives and environmental quality standards.
Diffuse Sources AGRICULTURE - Good Agricultural Practice Regulations and Enforcement.
Other OTHER
Protection of drinking water, abstraction control and future licensing.
OBJECTIVES
Good status 2015
Protect
1 water body
12 water bodies
Alternative Objectives
Extended Deadlines – none
New Modifications or Development – Tullow flood alleviation feasibility study underway.
HMWB/AWB - none
Slaney Upper Water Management Unit Action Plan
FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
Future Pressures and Developments
Throughout the river basin management cycle future pressures and developments will need to be managed to ensure compliance with the objectives of the Water Framework Directive and the Programme of Measures will need to be developed to ensure issues associated with these new pressures are addressed.
Point Source Discharge County Priority Measure (Capital Works)
Rathvilly Carlow 1 Increase capacity of treatment plant.
Tullow WWTP Carlow 1 Increase capacity of treatment plant.
Point Source Discharge County Priority Measure
Baltinglass 1 WWTP Wicklow 1 Plant requiring the implement an appropriate performance management system
Point Source Discharge County Priority Measure
Baltinglass 1 WWTP Wicklow 2 Plant requiring the investigation of CSO's
River Data
Slaney Upper Water Management Unit Action Plan
Member State Code
Monito
red Y
(E
xtra
pola
ted N
)
Donor W
ate
rbody
Macro
inverte
bra
tes (Q
)
Fresh
Wate
r Pearl
Musse
l
Fish
Phyto
benth
os
(Dia
tom
s)
Morp
holo
gy
Specifi
c Polu
tants
Physio
-chem
ical
Eco
logica
l Sta
tus
Chem
ical S
tatu
s
Specia
l Are
a o
f Conse
rvatio
n
Specia
l Pro
tectio
n
Are
a
Nutrie
nt S
ensitiv
e
Wate
rs
Drin
kin
g W
ate
r
Obje
ctive
Date
obje
ctive to
be a
chie
ved
SE_12_1184 N SE_12_452 G GES 2009
SE_12_1398 Y G H G Y Y GES 2009
SE_12_1524 Y G H G H H G G Y GES 2009
SE_12_1535 Y M H M Y GES 2015
SE_12_1701 Y H H H H Y Y HES 2009
SE_12_1728 N SE_12_1437 G GES 2009
SE_12_2200 N SE_12_1437 G GES 2009
SE_12_2277 N SE_12_1437 G GES 2009
SE_12_2449 N SE_12_452 G Y GES 2009
SE_12_2450 N SE_12_452 G Y Y GES 2009
SE_12_2506 Y H G G H G Y Y GES 2009
SE_12_466 N SE_12_1437 G GES 2009
SE_12_825 Y G H G GES 2009
IE_SE_SlaneyUpper
Biological Elements Supporting Elements Protected Areas
This table outlines water body information including status and a breakdown of its elements, protected areas, objectives and timescales.