By Dan Walsh
Community and farming groups met with officials from Wexford County Council and the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) in Craanford Community Hall recently where the meeting addressed water quality on the River Slaney, with a particular focus on the River Bann.
Hosted by Wexford County Council’s Climate Action and Environment Section in partnership with LAWPRO, Teagasc and Tirlán, the event heard contributions from a range of speakers including the Friends of the Ahare River Biodiversity and Development Group and the Slaney Rivers Trust.
The discussion centred on visions, community actions and plans for local rivers and the River Slaney catchment. The event was chaired by Frank Burke, Climate Action Coordinator Wexford County Council.
Eoin Kinsella, Executive Scientist, Wexford County Council outlined the work being carried out by colleagues and emphasised the diversity of the work being done from agricultural inspections to managing litter on the Blue Flag beaches.
Dr. Fran Igoe of LAWPRO outlined the scientific data on water quality and focused on the Bann catchment. He said “that the glass is only half full when it comes to water quality in his home county of Wexford and we can do a lot better. “For example, the Environmental Protection Agency has found that the River Bann is a significant contributor of nitrates to the Slaney, and that combined with the other tributaries amounts to high nitrate loading to the Slaney. This needs to be addressed as EPA monitoring shows there is an excessive nitrate impact on the estuary and Wexford Harbour.
“Clean water is important for Wexford’s tourism shellfish production and maintaining the health of the River Slaney generally. Most of the River Bann is also important for salmon and trout spawning and the water quality needs improvement,” concluded Dr. Igoe.
David Rafter, Community Water Officer commended the great work being done by community groups in Wexford and encouraged those interested in getting involved and accessing funding to get in touch with LAWPRO.
Neilus Noonan presented on work Teagasc are doing in Wexford and detailed his appointment to the Better Farming for Water initiative with a focus on the River Slaney. He outlined farmer uptake of the catch crop measure under the Farming for WaterEIP in Co. Wexford. He said the “more catch crops sown on tillage land the better for water quality in the River Slaney as it’s all about the right measure in the right place”
John Murphy, Chairperson Tirlán spoke about their commitment as a dairy processor to improving water quality in the area with their Slaney Farming for Water Project, which aims to encourage farmers to install measures on their farms funded through the Farming for WaterEIP and Tiran’s own suitability programme. He said “It’s not about finger pointing but it is about everybody working together”.
Cathy Lee of the Friends of the Ahare River Biodiversity and Development Group, which was formed in 2019, showed examples of their water awareness raising activities, including biodiversity signage along the river, school visits to the river and family fun days at the Clone beach. Their ambition for the future is to create additional habitats along the river.
Ross Finlay project officer with the Slaney Rivers Trust spoke about their objective to improve salmon stocks in the Slaney and their plans for broadening community engagement.
Clohamon Weir has been a specific challenge and there are also other weirs impacting on fish passage on the Slaney. They are working with Inland Fisheries Ireland on the new barrier removal programme.
HISTORY OF RIVER BANN. Rises in the southern slopes of Croghan Mountain in north Wexford on the Wicklow border. It flows south and is joined by the Blackwater Stream near the village of Hollyfort, veering southwest it passes under the R725, then continuing southwestwards it flows beneath the N11 national primary route at Camolin. It is crossed by the Dublin-Rosslare railway four times, flows past Ferns, and joins the River Slaney at Scarawalsh, north of Enniscorthy. Distance 42 kilometres.
WexfordLocal.com 