South Eastern River Basin District

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South Eastern River Basin District
Presentation to

• Wednesday 30th April 2008

Rosanna Nolan Senior Engineer

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Overview

• History
• Waterways Ireland Remit
• Necessary Maintenance Works
• Water Framework Directive

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Navigable Waterways - 1860

• The Lower Bann
• Ulster Canal
• The Upper Bann
• Erne Navigation
• Lough Neagh
• B and B Canal
• Lagan Navigation
• Shannon Navigation
• Newry Canal
• Grand and Royal Canal
• Tyrone Navigation
• Barrow Navigation
• 1350 km waterway
• 270 locks
• Aqueducts, weirs, siphons and culverts

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The Grand Canal

• Construction began 1757
• Total length 180km, 57 locks
• Main line 46km 18 locks
• Shannon Line 85km 18 locks
• Barrow Line 46km 9 locks

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The Barrow Line

• Construction began on the Barrow Line of the
  Grand canal in 1783
• In 1785 the canal reached Monasterevin
• In 1790 3,944 men were working on the Barrow Line
• Junction with the Barrow at Athy complete in 1791

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Barrow Navigation

• 69km from Athy to St. Mullins
• 23 lateral canals
• 22 weirs
• Complete in 1791

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The Barrow Navigation

• Construction began in 1759 with a grant of 2,000
• 1761 a further 5,263 requested to complete the
  first 4 miles to Graiguenamanagh
• In 1763 3 miles complete and a further 2,000
  required to complete 4 miles
• In 1767 they were questioned by Parliament when
  they requested more money and had still not
  completed 4 miles.
• Semple explained the difficulties encountered and
  a further 3,000 was granted

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Barrow Navigation Co.

• Barrow Navigation Co. incorporated in 1790 and
  took possession of the works
• The entire trackway from Athy to St. Mullins was
  completed, 10 lateral canals were built and 4 of
  the original locks were enlarged to take boats
  carrying up to 80 tons

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The beginning of the end

• Early years best in terms of passengers and
  tonnage
• Passenger traffic declined steadily and withdrawn
  in 1853
• From 1860 on canals used for heavy freight
  traffic
• 1894 Barrow Navigation Co. sold for 30,000

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Decline

• War of Independence
• Civil War
• Advent of the Lorry
• Newry, Ulster and Boyne Navigations derelict by
  1931
• Barrow Drainage Scheme(1926-1934)

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End of an Era

• Commercial traffic ceases on Grand Canal
• Last barge leaves Dublin 27th May 1960

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A New Chapter

• OPW assumed responsibility for the canals in 1986
  and began an extensive program of refurbishment
  Cleaning the quays and fixing the locks

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Complete Disrepair
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Millenium Rally 1988
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Royal Canal Restoration
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FUNCTION CHRONOLOGY

• 1986 Commissioners of Public Works
• 1996 Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht
• 1997 Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands
• 1997 Dúchas, The Heritage Service
• 2000 Waterways Ireland

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Waterways Ireland

• North-South Implementation Body
• British-Irish Agreement Act 1999
• Functions of management, maintenance, development
  and restoration
• Principally for recreational purposes

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Waterways Ireland

• Shannon-Erne Waterway
• Erne Navigation
• Lower Bann Navigation
• Shannon Navigation
• Royal Canal
• Grand Canal
• Barrow Navigation

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Mission Statement
Strive to provide a high quality recreational
environment centred on the inland waterways of
Ireland in our care, for the use and benefit of
everyone
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WATERWAYS IRELAND

• Our waterways are recognized as important
  recreational and leisure facilities
• Used for different water-based and land-based
  activities
• Form part of our National Heritage

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BOATING BOAT RALLIES
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CANOE POLO ROWING
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ANGLING
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Disabled Fishing Stands and Signage
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Community Festivals
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IWAI / Heritage Boat Association
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Waterways Regeneration

• Enhancement of the Waterways
• Economic Diversity
• Community Involvement
• Provision of Additional Moorings
• Development of Walking Trails
• Provision of Angling Facilities
• Development of Marinas(Private Sector)

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Waterways Regeneration

• Environmental Improvements to Towns and Villages
• Educational Awareness
• Award Schemes
• Co-operation between the State Agencies and the
  Private Sector

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Maintenance Works

• Maintenance of the Navigation Channels
• Towpath Maintenance
• Maintenance of Structures
• Landscaping
• Provision of Jetties and Moorings
• Bank Protection
• Embankment Strengthening
• Aquatic Plant control
• Lock Maintenance
• General (Grass cutting, litter etc.)

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Water-based Dredging
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Native Protected Species
Freshwater Crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes)
Opposite-leaved Pondweed (Groenlandia densa)
Brook Lamprey (Lampetra planeri)
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Barrow Navigation
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Canal Maintenance
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Navigation Channel Maintenance
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Barrow Line Dredging
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Barrow Line Dredging
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Aquatic Vegetation
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Water Fern (Azolla filiculoides)
First appearance in the Barrow was in 2001 at
Milford lock gates
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Elodea canadensis nuttalli Canadian Nuttalls
Pondweed
Fallopia japonica Japanese Knotweed
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Water Framework Directive

• AWB and HMWB have to achieve Good Ecological
  Potential, GEP
• GEP makes allowances for the ecological impacts
  resulting from physical alterations that are
  necessary to support a specified use.
• GES and GEP are set in relation to reference
  conditions.
• For HMWBs and AWBs this reference condition is
  the Maximum Ecological Potential, MEP.

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SNIFFER PROJECT

• Waterways Ireland is involved in the Canal
  Classification Tool ecological research project
  run by the Scottish and Northern Ireland Forum
  for Environmental Research
• EPA and Waterways Ireland are co-funding this
  project along with British Waterways, SEPA and
  EA.
• The objective of this project is to devise a
  Canal Classification Tool that will be used to
  classify canal waterbodies by comparing their
  ecological condition to their expected ecological
  potential.

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Management Strategies and Mitigation Measures
Project

• The Association of Inland Navigation Authorities
  (AINA) commissioned this project to support the
  implementation of the WFD.
• It provides information to support defining MEP
  and GEP and the measures necessary to mitigate
  the pressures imposed on inland waterways by the
  navigation sector

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Pressures and Impacts

• Operations and Maintenance
• Sediment Management, De-watering, Vegetation
  control
• Channel Alteration
• Realignment, re-grading reprofiling
• Bank reinforcement In-Channel Structures
• Hard Bank Protection, Online Moorings, Locks,
  Weirs, Marinas, Docks (Dry Docks), other
  Basins
• Navigation
• Boat Movement
• Other navigation users fishing etc

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Finally

• Our aim is to continue to manage, maintain,
  develop and restore the navigations in our care
  for the use and benefit of .

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Everybody !