EPA Water Research Planning

Workshop

Water Challenges in Ireland – The EPA Perspective Martin McGarrigle

28 June 2013

Outline

EPA’s Role re Water

Water Pollution

Ecological Status – Trends 1987-2012

How to achieve WFD Targets for Good Status

Some thoughts on previous research

Has Water Research in Ireland helped so far? WFD goals

Cleaner water

What are the next ‘Hot’ Research Areas?

Environmental Protection Agency

EPA’s Role with respect to Water

The EPA is the Regulator Major point source Discharges

Drinking Water

Waste Management

Oversight of and Liaison with LAs

NIECE

Environmental Research

Water Quality in Ireland – Long Term Trends

77.3

71.2

66.9

69.7 69.3 71.4

68.9

72.8

12.0

16.8 18.2 17.1 17.9 18.2

20.7

17.5

9.7 11.4

14.0 12.4 12.3

9.9 10.0 9.6

0.9 0.6 0.9 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1987-'90 1991-'94 1995-'97 1998-'00 2001-'03 2004-'06 2007-'09 2010 -'12

% C

ha

nn

el

len

gth

Su

rveyed

National Long term Trends % of Surveyed 13,200km baseline channel length in four Biological Quality Classes

A: Unpolluted B: Slightly Polluted C: Moderately Polluted D: Seriously Polluted

77.3

71.2

66.9

69.7 69.3 71.4

68.9

72.8

100.0

12.0

16.8 18.2 17.1 17.9 18.2

20.7

17.5

0.0

9.7 11.4

14.0 12.4 12.3

9.9 10.0 9.6

0.0 0.9 0.6 0.9 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.1 0.0

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1987-'90 1991-'94 1995-'97 1998-'00 2001-'03 2004-'06 2007-'09 2010 -'12

% C

han

nel

len

gth

Su

rveyed

National Long term Trends % of Surveyed 13,200km baseline channel length in four Biological Quality Classes

A: Unpolluted B: Slightly Polluted C: Moderately Polluted D: Seriously Polluted

The Water Quality Challenge

WFD Target -

100%

Unpolluted

2015!

2021?

2027?

In 2007-2009 we recorded 953 polluted river sites

from a total of ~2500 sites surveyed

This is approximately 30 sites per county

~Half – 15 sites per county – due to point source pollution Usually there’s a ‘simple’ answer – but may be expensive

Research on improved treatment techniques can help

~Half – 15 sites per county – due to diffuse pollution Stream walks to find pollution sources (SSRS)

+DATA: Maps, Photographs – GIS, Landcover, LPIS, Geodirectory, Census data,

Soils and bedrock layers, forestry info, StreetView.

Research can/has helped to solve some diffuse pollution problems

Tackle these river sites one by one within each county

If we succeed then the WFD target is achieved for rivers

This will benefit lakes, estuaries and groundwater also.

Water Quality: How to Achieve the 100% target?

Where Have we Come from?

Organic Pollution prevalent in 70s and 80s

Old Industry – e.g. Chemicí Teo, Sugar Factories, Meat Factories

Poor treatment of Municipal wastewaters

Interdepartmental Committee on Water Pollution 1960s

AFF set up – monitoring began 1971

Water Pollution Act

But Blood and Guts (literally) in some Rivers even in early 80s

Farm Pollution became noticeable in the 80s

Fish Kills, etc., mid to late 1980s – switch to silage making

Silage made on grass or poor quality concrete potent stuff – SF visible for many km downstream

‘Sewage Fungus’ research team

Slurry Spreading – treated as a waste material

Better containment – fish kills reduced

Baled silage largely solved silage problem But we still have some ‘hard case’ polluters!

Silage Pollution in

2011!

Where Have we Come from?

Improvements in WWTP

Efficient secondary treatment

But High Nutrient content – green blankets

Eutrophication of Lakes and Rivers

Lake Eutrophication Ennell – Mullingar – P Removal provided a ‘quick’ fix

Ross Bay Killarney – first P Removal in 70s – lot of research

L. Conn – diffuse (see later)

River Eutrophication Diurnal oxygen variation

Fish Kills due to night time anoxia

Round the clock surveys to calibrate Eutrophication Models

Research gave us a good understanding of P sources and sinks Allowed us to set realistic ecologically meaningful standards

Phosphorus Regulations SI 258/1998 and WFD EQS SI 272/2009

if these are achieved ecological status will improve

Research on Diffuse Pollution from Agriculture

Agricultural P Loss

Farm fertilisation intensified from the 1980s Arctic Charr disappeared from Lough Conn

Excessive Soil Phosphorus Levels came onto the agenda

1990 Comparison with 1979-1982 Conn survey showed big increases

in P losses Diffuse losses with P concentrations Increasing during Flood Events

Conn Committee letter requested 5mg/l Morgan’s P max soil P

Ireland out of line with other countries

LS 2 Agricultural Eutrophication Research Project ~€3.4M 50 scientists all major universities

International Phosphorus Meetings hosted and attended

COST 832 Agricultural Eutrophication

Current follow-on projects ACP, Pathways & Siltflux Projects

Agricultural P Loss

Agronomic research complemented

environmental aspect P applications of zero, 15kg/ha, 30kg/ha showed no

difference between 15 and 30 kg/ha applications in terms

of animal weight produced

At least 15 kg/ha P wasted

Hundreds of millions euro not just wasted but causing

huge environmental damage

Savings of €100/ha by revising Index 3 from a max of 10 mg/l to 8 mg/l Morgan’s P (J. Lee 1999)

Soil P Index revised downwards

P Sales dropped significantly

P Concentrations in Rivers are now dropping OSPAR measurements show big drop in P loss (as

excessive soil P levels come down?)

Routine WFD operational monitoring also showing

reductions in N&P (It could be just an economic thing?)

When P levels drop below their biological ‘saturation’

levels we will see real ecological improvements. (i.e. the

EQS in SI 272 /2009)

Research on Diffuse Pollution from Agriculture

- It has had an impact

Research has Helped to Improve Water Quality or to

understand the underlying processes

Acidification Project Burrishoole

Peat Silt clogging autosamplers

Overgrazing Highlighted

Forestry Eutrophication Projects

Nutrient losses from Brash

Steady P outflow for a number of years

Peat soils have poor P retention capacity

HYDROFOR - current

Humic UV-sensitive P loss

Sunlight releases P from humic-Fe-PO4 complexes

Reversible so not seen in ordinary water samples

Issue for Irish peatlands with worked bogs

Toxic cyanobacteria

Not as extensive as feared

Cryptosporidium is a much more serious issue

http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/research/water/EPA%20Water%20Research

%20Leaflet%202012.pdf

Lots of Water Projects

2007-2011

Water Projects 2007-2011 Lots of Water Projects

2007-2011

Water Projects 2007-2011 Lots of Water Projects

2007-2011

Developing of Ecological Assessment Techniques –

research support for monitoring and assessment

WFD required new ecological classification techniques for lakes

especially

Establishing Reference Conditions

RivType – reference communities for rivers

Insight – palaeolimnology project to confirm reference lakes

Western Lakes projects & Lake Ecology Fellowships

Current Strive Lake Projects hydromorphology

catchment risk characterisation

Remote Sensing of chlorophyll Blooms easily detected from the air

Developing of Ecological Assessment Techniques –

research support for monitoring and assessment

Strive Marine Fellowship on Nutrient Trends

Various Groundwater Projects under way

Surface-groundwater interactions

Groundwater dependent terrestrial Ecosystems

Pathways Project – Identifying critical source areas

Siltflux – to monitor and underpin Silt Flux standards

Transitional and Coastal Ecological Assessment still needs

research

Assessing the ecological status of tidal reaches of rivers

Saltmarshes

A difficult area

‘New’ Research Areas

Hydromorphology

Assessing/ intercalibrating GEP and hydromorphological pressure

‘Rehabilitation’ of drained channels

Better understanding of siltation impacts (Siltflux)

Flood Plains and natural Flood Relief

Interaction of altered flow patterns and eutrophication

Over-abstraction – hands off flows

Landslides and bog bursts

Climate Change

Interaction with hydromorphology

Changing ecological communities

Ecosystem Services

New Old Research Areas

The reality is that we still have significant pollution problems

i.e. the 953 river sites to be fixed (~15 diffuse per county)

We know how to sort out a lot of this but..

Research can help

Identifying and fixing ‘Hot Spots’ or ‘Critical Source Areas’

Diffuse sources more difficult to track down

Control of Septic Tank effluents

Control of P loss from clear-felling forests on deep peats

Improved control of Peat Silt

N limitation v P limitation in aquatic ecosystems

IAE - control of nutrients generated by pig and poultry industry

Do large point sources ‘mask’ upstream diffuse sources?

Improve Drinking Water

Protecting High Status - where it exists

WFD requires us to hold on to High and Good Status Waters

Easier Said than Done

STRIVE 99 Project outlined Management Options

Freshwater Pearl Mussel Sub-Basin plans

Aiming to control silt and nutrients

Catchment strategies

Will they work?

Essentially we want to protect or improve these quasi-

pristine rivers and lakes aquifers and estuaries where they

exist

Other New Research Areas

Sociology also important

How to change behaviour

Disseminating research results to help improve practices

Public Participation in Water Management

How to make the connection?

Use of Social Media

Television and traditional media

Catchment Groups – e.g. Duhallow LIFE project

Urban diffuse

As WWTPs improve Diffuse urban will become more obvious

Car parks, petrol stations, misconnections, etc.

Big Data, DNA taxonomy, etc.

Finally…

Please Don’t Reinvent the wheel

Read the literature

Be aware of what has already been done

Especially in Ireland

Build on it

Good luck with your Applications