COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, November 08, 2010
QUESTION NO. 15
QUESTION: Councillor W. Lavelle
To ask the Manager to provide an update on the Eastern River Basin District plan and to report on the initial programme of works now planned and to advise on how these works are to be funded?
REPLY:
The Eastern River Basin Management (ERBM) Plan including a Programme of Measures (PoMs) was initially published in Draft in December 2008. After a 6 month consultation process it was issued in final form in September 2009. This version included extensive changes to the EPA’s status evaluations and identification of waters where the status was based on extrapolated rather than measured data. Delays in production of the Plans in Ireland’s other River Basin Districts (RBDs) resulted in postponement of the Minister of the Environment’s review of the ERBD Plan until July 2010. Just prior to this date the EPA issued an updated revision to the river status which again introduced large numbers of changes. Since the Plan represents the baseline against which progress will be measured the Final Plan was updated to reflect these changes as well as the comments introduced by the Minister. This final Plan was forwarded to the EU by the Minister of the Environment on the 7th of July 2010.
The initial programme of works includes:-
- Small Stream Risk Score (SSRS) (invertebrate) monitoring at those sites deemed to be at less than good status but based on extrapolated data;
- Initial focus on waters targeted to be restored to good status by 2015;
- Protection of high status waters;
- Protection of waters within designated areas;
- Initiation of priority demonstration projects; and
- Initiation of measures in all other waters.
The Government has set up the National Advisory Committee (NAC) which will be advising them on how the River Basin Plans Programme of Measures will be funded. This is unlikely to happen before the Budget in early December 2010.