Water Services National Training Group

1
Water Services National Training Group

• 11th Annual Conference
• 6th September 2007

2
Significant Water Management Issues

• Colin Byrne
• Water Inspector
• Department of Environment, Heritage and Local
  Government

3
WFD Implementation Timetable in Irish
Regulations (SI 722, 2003)
4
EU Commission Implementation Report (2007)

• Communication Towards Sustainable Water
  Management in the European Union (COM(2007) 128
  final)
• Supported by Annexes 1) WFD 1st Implementation
  Report (SEC(2007) 362)
• Snap-shot of the situation reported in 2004-2006
• Based on reports from Member States
• Assesses 3 components
• Legal transposition into national law (Art. 24)
• Administrative arrangements (Art. 3)
• Environmental/economic analysis (Art. 5)

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Implementation Results

• Legal Transposition - 19 MS with major
  shortcomings
• Administrative Arrangements
• 110 different RBDs, 40 are international
• gt60 of EU territory is international
• RBD size between 1,000 and 800,000 km2
• Economic analysis
• Low level of information on cost-recovery in
  different sectors

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TITLE
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Implementation Results Article 3 arrangements
Results of performance assessment
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Implementation Results Article 5 analysis

• Overall performance Article 5

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water matters
Have your say!
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Water Matters

• Significant Water Management Issues Report
• Required by SI 722 of 2003 and Article 14.1 (b)
  of Water Framework Directive
• Public consultation document
• No format set down by regulations or EU
• Opportunity to address the public in language
  they understand
• Gives information and invites comment

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Water Matters

• Common template and timetable for NI and RoI
• Each RBD produced their own report format and
  80 of content are common
• Length
• About 50 pages
• How many issues?
• 8 national issues
• 2 or 3 local issues

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Format of how issues are presented

• How does the issue affect water quality?
• What existing controls are in place?
• Are these controls adequate to meet the new
  targets set by the Water Framework Directive?
• What additional actions are proposed?

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Groundwater
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Rivers

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8 Significant Water Management Issues of national
concern

• Wastewater and industrial discharges
• Other point sources
• Agriculture
• Unsewered properties
• Forest and Water
• Use and discharge of dangerous substances
• Physical modifications
• Abstractions

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Wastewater and industrial discharges
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Wastewater and industrial discharges

• Background
• 540 sewerage systems serving populations of 500
  1.7 million
• 600 IPPC licenses granted by EPA
• 1,090 discharge licenses to sewer 1,120 to
  water granted by local authorities
• 2.3 billion invested (NDP 2000-2006) meeting 90
  of infrastructure needs
• 2.5 billion estimated (NDP 2007-2013)
• Potential impact on waters
• Inadequate treatment organic load, nutrients
  and toxic substances
• Pollution from urban wastewater Serious (1)
  60 33 P, 10 N

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Wastewater and industrial discharges

• Existing controls
• Urban wastewater Urban wastewater treatment
  Regulations (1994-2004), Planning and Development
  Act (2000), Foreshore Act (1933)
• Industrial and commercial IPPC Regulations
  (1994-2004) and Water Pollution Acts (1977, 1990)
  
• Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD
  objectives ?
• UWWT Controls focussed on infrastructure, not
  discharges. No prior authorisation system for
  discharges. Monitoring inadequate in places. New
  water quality standards are to be met
• Industrial and commercial prior authorisation
  in place, but new emission limits, including
  dangerous substances. Need to be included in
  review of licence conditions to meet new water
  quality standards

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Wastewater and industrial discharges

• What additional controls are proposed?
• New regulations creating single national
  licensing system for urban wastewater discharges
• Administered by EPA
• Licences will set mandatory emission limits to
  achieve new water quality standards
• Licences will set compulsory monitoring
  requirements
• Review and revision of IPPC and Water Pollution
  discharge licences to meet new water quality
  standards
• Stakeholders affected Local authorities
  industries discharging to sewer or water

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Other point sources
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Other point sources

• Background
• EPA identified 86 contaminated sites (industrial
  sites, gasworks and illegal landfills)
• 100 mines
• 500 quarries
• Incomplete knowledge about these sites
• Potential impact on waters
• Potential leakage of contaminants toxic
  substances such metals and fuel
• Long term pollution of both groundwaters and
  surface waters

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Other point sources

• Existing controls
• Waste disposal sites - Waste management act EPA
  licenses
• Mines mining lease/license - DCENR, planning
  permission Local authority, IPPC licenses EPA
• Quarries Planning and development act
  registration with local authority
• Contaminated sites EPA and water pollution acts
  
• Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD
  objectives ?
• Controls adequate
• Compliance and enforcement are the challenge
  e.g. recent actions to control illegal
  landfilling and cross border waste movement

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Other point sources

• What additional controls are proposed?
• Unregulated waste disposal sites application of
  code of practice
• Developed by EPA
• Local authorities identifying and assessing sites
• Quarries application of best practice
• Developed by EPA
• Local authorities identifying and assessing sites
• Contaminated sites application of same best
  practice
• Stakeholders affected Local authorities
  industries commercial enterprises and landowners
  on whose land such activities have taken place

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Agriculture
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Agriculture

• Background
• Two-thirds of Irelands land area - 90 grassland
  10 tillage
• 6 of workforce
• 2 of total added value
• Beef, sheep and milk main exports 1.3 lu/ha
  average stocking density
• Intensification of farm systems, less farmers,
  larger herd sizes, intensive agricultural
  enterprises
• Potential impact on waters
• Enrichment of waters nutrients
• Organic pollution animal manure, silage and
  slurry
• Also dangerous substances e.g. pesticides, oils
• Pollution from agriculture Serious (14),
  Moderate (33), Slight (35)

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Agriculture

• Existing measures
• European reform single farm payments / cross
  compliance DAF lead controls
• Good agricultural practice regulations (2006)
  Nitrates Action Plan (NAP) and mini catchment
  programmes
• REPS
• Grant schemes for manure management (storage and
  spreading)
• Also Water Pollution Acts, Phosphorus Regulations
  (Bye-laws etc) Local authority role
• IPPC licenses intensive agricultural
  enterprises EPA role
• Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD
  objectives ?
• Controls are adequate to protect most waters
  subject to full compliance. More stringent and
  focussed measures may be needed in sensitive areas

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Agriculture

• What additional controls are proposed?
• NAP will be reviewed in 2009 to ensure water
  quality improvements
• Control and reporting of nutrient surplus (animal
  numbers, feedstuff and chemical fertilizers)
• Observed reduction in animal numbers and
  fertilizer sales
• Agri-environmental technologies and schemes are
  being considered. E.g. Digestors in intensive
  agricultural areas and riparian zone restoration
  in sensitive catchments
• Stakeholders affected Agricultural sector

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Unsewered properties
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Unsewered properties

• Background
• 30 of the population are currently unsewered
• Single dwellings, clusters of houses, commercial
  premises and light industries
• One in five properties built since 1991 have
  septic tanks 100,000 homes
• Galway, Roscommon, Donegal and Monaghan - highest
  rate of unsewered property development
• One third of facilities inspected in Cavan in
  2002 were defective
• Potential impact on waters
• Nutrients, chemicals and microrganisms can seep
  into both groundwater and surface water
• Contamination of drinking water sources (wells,
  rivers , lakes) if tanks and percolation systems
  are not working properly
• Reduction of quality of bathing waters and
  shellfish waters

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Unsewered properties

• Existing controls
• Planning system is the key control
• DEHLG guidance on best practice to Planning
  Authorities
• Guidance manuals published by the EPA which
  explain the investigation and design requirements
  for systems serving individual premises
• Bye-Laws under the Water Pollution Acts
• Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD
  objectives ?
• Water quality problems where septic tanks or
  proprietary systems are not sited, managed and
  operated properly
• EPA Guidance in draft (being updated)

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Unsewered properties

• What additional controls are proposed?
• Updated EPA Guidance manuals for single houses
  and small scale developments.
• Restrict development in areas vulnerable to
  groundwater pollution and significant flood risk.
• Modify development plans.
• Improve septic tank maintenance requirements
• Provision of collection systems in areas of high
  septic tank density
• Stakeholders affected Local Authorities, light
  industries, householders on single house systems
  or in clusters and practitioners

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Forest and Water
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Forest and Water

• Background
• 10 of Irelands land area to rise to 17 in
  next 30 years
• Timber production mainly sawlogs, stakes, wood
  chip
• 77 coniferous
• 57 state owned managed by Coillte
• Newer private forests - higher broadleaf
  proportions, harvesting in 20 years
• Potential impact on waters
• Acidification
• Nutrient enrichment
• Sedimentation
• Flow pattern changes
• Acute toxic events if pesticides not applied in
  controlled manner
• Damage to sensitive protected habitats/wildlife

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Forest and Water

• Existing controls
• Tree felling is subject to Licence under the 1946
  Forestry Act,
• Forest Service is implementing Sustainable Forest
  Management (SFM)
• Integrated Package of measures for practitioners
• Irish National Forest Standard
• Code of Best Forest Practice sets out best
  practice in all stages of the forest management
  cycle
• Environmental Guidelines
• Pesticides controlled by the Pesticide Control
  Unit of DAF
• Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD
  objectives ?
• Existing legislation, binding environmental codes
  of practice and guidelines play a major role in
  protecting water quality in forested areas
• Revision of Forestry Act may be required
• New Acid sensitive areas protocol required

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Forest and Water

• What additional controls are proposed?
• The key is to ensure implementation of guidelines
  and codes of practice.
• Introduce more stringent actions, established by
  scientific evaluation, in the most sensitive
  areas
• (e.g. phased felling to limit sediment input,
  prior establishment of buffer zones)
• For new forest plantations key action Avoid
  aforestation of sensitive areas Strict
  adherence to statutory regulations, water
  protection guidelines and codes of practice.
• Stakeholders affected forestry sector both
  publicly and privately owned as well as the
  associated saw-milling and processing industries

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Use and discharge of dangerous substances
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Use and discharge of dangerous substances

• Background
• Used across all sectors of society
• Households, industry, forestry, agriculture,
  small businesses, mines, construction sites,
  water treatment, run-off from roads and paved
  areas and engine exhausts
• Increased usage
• Register of these substances incomplete
  (Commission has identified candidate list of
  2,042 substances! )
• Potential impact on waters
• Direct toxicity
• Some are persistent and bioaccumulate

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Use and discharge of dangerous substances

• Existing controls
• Water quality standards (15 metals, pesticides,
  solvents, P)
• Monitoring programmes
• Emission controls - IPPC licenses, EPER (European
  Pollution Emission Register), Seveso Directive,
  Water Pollution Act, Dangerous Substances
  Phosphorus Regulations, Pesticides
  Authorisations, Aquaculture Licenses
• Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD
  objectives ?
• Increased range of substances to be controlled at
  European and Member State level new water
  quality standards to be established
• Licensing, authorisation and monitoring systems
  will require updating to address the new water
  standards

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Use and discharge of dangerous substances

• What additional controls are proposed?
• New water quality standards in WFD classification
  Regs. (Dec. 2007)
• Proposed Directive for Priority Substances
  (initial 41 substances)
• EPA proposed new standards in July 2007 (18
  substances)
• New regulations licencing WWTP discharges
• Review and revision of IPPC and Water Pollution
  discharge licences
• REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation
  of Chemicals)
• Pesticides strategy
• Stakeholders affected Local authorities,
  industries and commercial activities producing,
  using, handling, storing or discharging to sewer
  or water

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Physical modifications
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Physical modifications

• Background
• Water supply, navigation, shipping, flood
  protection, hydropower and land drainage
• 95,000 culverts and bridges
• 900 km of river flood embankments
• 19 large reservoirs
• 10 large ports
• 200 km of coastal defences
• Potential impact on waters
• Direct impact on habitat drained rivers loss
  of spawning habitat, physical barriers
  obstacles to migration, hard structures loss of
  habitat
• Damage to protected areas (e.g.
  habitats/wildlife)

42
Physical modifications

• Existing controls
• Statutory roles OPW arterial drainage, DCENR
  coastal defences
• Planning and development act Local authorities
• Foreshore act disposal of dredge spoil permits
  - DCENR
• Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD
  objectives ?
• No single comprehensive control system for
  surface water modifications
• Registration and authorisation system is needed
• New monitoring programmes required to identify
  impacts and sites requiring restoration

43
Physical modifications

• What additional controls are proposed?
• New regulations for prior authorisation
  (licensing regime) / registration systems are
  being considered for significant modifications
• WFD provides for exemptions where a water is a
  Heavily Modified Water Body (HMWB). Only if
  benefits outweigh impact no other alternatives
• Stakeholders affected Developers operators
  proposing engineered modifications to surface
  waters

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Abstractions
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Abstractions

• Background
• Household, agriculture, recreation, industry
• 1.7 million cubic metres of water used per day
• 85 of the population is supplied by public
  schemes
• 550 surface water schemes and 2,000 groundwater
  wells (gt10m3/day)
• Potential impact on waters
• Over-abstraction reduced flow rates and levels,
  saline intrusion
• Resulting impact on aquatic wildlife
• fringing wetland protected habitats
• Fish populations and their migration

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Abstractions

• Existing controls
• Water Supplies Act 1942 sanitary authorities
  may abstract water from surface water sources
  (subject to approval from An Bord Pleanala)
• Approvals
• Historical water rights agreements for individual
  water supply schemes
• Local planning approval systems for new schemes
• S.I. No. 93 of 1999 EC Regs (EIA)
• gt2 Million m3/yr
• EPA Act 1992
• IPPC industries can be required to submit
  details of any impacts
• Exempted - S.I. No. 86 of 1994 LG (planning
  dev) regs
• Class 40 - boreholes for domestic supplies
• Class 41 temporary boreholes (except for
  mineral prospecting)

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Abstractions

• Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD
  objectives ?
• Abstraction registers need to be completed and
  brought up-to-date
• Consistency in granting of licenses is lacking
• Additional monitoring needed
• Approval process needs to include new
  environmental objectives
• What additional controls are proposed?
• New regulations for single national licensing /
  registration systems are being considered for
  significant abstractions
• Inventory of abstractions
• Licence consents based on water resource impact
• Abstraction limits (quantity and timing)
• Monitoring requirements
• Stakeholders affected Local authorities,
  industrial and commercial enterprises, the
  agricultural sector and developers proposing
  abstractions

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River Basin Management Process
Prevent deterioration At least good status by
2015 Protected area objectives Most stringent
applies !
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Guidance on setting Objectives

• DEHLG will specify methods and criteria for
  setting objectives within the rules of the WFD
• The Guidance will recommend how the improved risk
  assessments currently being updated by the RBD
  projects are to be used to assist in the setting
  of objectives
• This will result in planned improvements through
  POMs where we are confident that
• An EQS supporting good status or a protected area
  objective is not being achieved, or
• Trend analysis indicates that deterioration of
  status will occur unless action is taken

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First step fully implement existing 11
Directives
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Implement new basic measures and supplementary
measures (where necessary)
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The contribution of basic measures to achieving
the objectives

• We know what the Basic Measures are!
• Goal is to implement them fully, consistently and
  effectively
• There are specific programmes to give effect to
  directives (e.g. WSIP, Nitrates National AP)
• To ensure maximum effect water bodies must be
  prioritised within each programme, based on risk
• Such prioritisation must be evidence based,
  transparent, proportional, manage uncertainty and
  most of all make sense
• The final priorities must be based on
  consultation and have regard to stakeholders
  views (Public authorities, RBDACs, sectoral
  interests)

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What next ?

• Publication and consultations on SWMI Overview
  consider submissions when developing RBMPs
  (June-December 2007)
• National guidance to public authorities on River
  Basin Management Planning - December 2007
• Commence the setting of objectives through a
  transparent process
• Implement the existing directives in full
• Introduce new controls identified in the overview
  of SWMI
• Identify appropriate supplementary measures where
  necessary

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Thank you for your attention
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Water Services National Training Group

• 11th Annual Conference
• 6th September 2007