Response Engineering forwarded these monitoring results to Leitrim County Council with information on flow and effluent quality.

Transcription

1 A Appropriate Assessment Drumkeeran Stage 1 Screening Step 1 Management of the site Is the plan or project directly connected with or necessary to the management of the site? No Step 2 Description of the Plan or Project Identify all the elements of the plant. Drumkeeran Plant serves a population of 406. The original plant was designed for a P.E. of 200 in the 1940 s. The new DBO plant commenced operation on the 08 September 2010 but is still undergoing commissioning and has not been signed off. Three existing storm water overflows have been decommissioned. Response Engineering forwarded these monitoring results to Leitrim County Council with information on flow and effluent quality. Drumkeeran wwtp Daily Flows 1 DWF = 172m3/d Date Inlet Flow (FM) m3 Inlet Flow (FM) m3/d 22-Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct

2 Results Drumkeeran wwtp Parameter ph COD (mg/l) SS (mg/l) TP (mg/l) BOD (mg/l) LIMIT 6 _ DATE SAMPLE Effluent 15/09/ /09/ /10/ /10/ Identify other plans or projects that have the potential for having significant effects on the site. Industry wind energy site Landfill old disused landfill. Tourism no major events. Agriculture sheep and small suckler herds. Forestry There are plantations visible from the treatment plant to the west and north east of the village Sewage Outside the sewer network septic tanks are used for sewage treatment. Septic tanks can be problematic. Geographical Scope of the wastewater plant and European Sites The effluent from Drumkeeran WWTP discharges to the Owengar River which in turn joins with the Diffagher River and flows to Lough Allen. Sampling point 26O02 Bridge at Barragh on the Owengar is being monitored for river water quality. The last sample was taken in 2009 Q4. It has been monitored since 1984 and has varied between 4, 4-5 and 5 over that space of time which equates to good water quality. SITE SYNOPSIS SITE NAME: CORRY MOUNTAIN BOG NHA SITE CODE: Corry Mountain Bog NHA is an area of upland blanket bog, straddling the Roscommon/Leitrim county boundary, located about 4 km west of Lough Allen. The site drains into the Owengar River via surface streams on its northern side and into the Arigna River, which flows into Lough Allen, on its southern side. Mature forestry plantations form parts of the northern and southern boundaries and the site extends down the lower slopes of Corry Mountain as far as fields of heathy grassland and rush pasture. A number of wind power installations are sited on the summit of the mountain.

3 The site consists primarily of intact upland blanket bog. The vegetation is dominated by species such as Ling Heather (Calluna vulgaris), Deergrass (Scirpus cespitosus), Cross-leaved Heath (Erica tetralix) and cotton grasses (Eriophorum angustifolium, E. vaginatum), with Fir Clubmoss (Huperzia selago), Tormentil (Potentilla erecta), Crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) and Round-leaved Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia). The site is particularly notable for its large population of the rare northern montane orchid Lesser Twayblade (Listera cordata). Species more typical of lowland areas, including Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos), also occur within the site. The bog surface is wet and quaking in places, where bog moss cover is at its highest, notably in flushes and in bog moss lawns. Flushes are colonised by Soft Rush (Juncus effusus), Bulbous Rush (Juncus bulbosus) and the bog mosses Sphagnum capillifolium, S. papillosum, S. palustre, S. cuspidatum, S. magellanicum and S. subnitens. Large flushes dominated by S. recurvum also occur on the western part of the site. Other mosses on the site include Aulacomnium palustre, Polytrichum commune, Hypnum jutlandicum, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, and Racomitrium lanuginosum, the latter occasionally forming large hummocks. Liverworts include Mylia taylorii, Diplophyllum albicans and Pleurozia purpurea. Lichens on the bog include Cladonia portentosa and C. uncialis. Small areas of re-vegetated cutover and more recently disturbed peat occur locally, the latter now colonising with cotton grasses, Bog Asphodel (Narthecium ossifragum) and bog moss (Sphagnum tenellum). Small swallowholes at the base of rock outcrops are quite common and these are colonised by Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) seedlings, Heath Bedstraw (Galium saxatile) and Broad Bucklerfern (Dryopteris dilatata). Wet heath, dry heath and acid grassland habitats occur on thinner peat soils forming transition zones to blanket bog. Red Data Book species recorded on this site include Irish Hare, Hen Harrier, Golden Plover and Red Grouse. Considerable fragmentation of the blanket bog in this upland area has resulted from afforestation on the lower northern and southern slopes of Corry Mountain. A wind power installation, centred largely on old mine workings on the summit of the mountain, but extending a short distance onto deep blanket bog, have been excluded from the site. Current land uses on the site include peat cutting and sheep grazing, while on lower slopes new plantation forestry has encroached on heath and bog habitat. Damaging activities associated with these land uses include drainage and accidental fires. Recent fire has damaged vegetation on the blanket bog immediately west of the wind power facility. These activities have resulted in habitat loss and caused localised damage to the hydrological status of the site. Generally, however, there has

4 been little burning of this extensive blanket bog site, while grazing pressure by sheep is notably minimal. Corry Mountain Bog NHA is a site of considerable conservation significance comprising a relatively intact area of upland blanket bog. The site supports a good diversity of blanket bog microhabitats, including bog moss lawns and flushes. Blanket bog habitat is a globally scarce resource. It is largely confined to coastal regions at temperate latitudes with cool, wet, oceanic climates. North-west Europe contains some of the best-developed areas of blanket bog in the world. The most extensive areas are found in Ireland and Britain. Upland blanket bogs, due to their exposure to severe climatic conditions at high elevations, are particularly vulnerable to erosion by human activities and extensive areas are currently undergoing active erosion due mainly to overgrazing. The current area of intact upland blanket bog in Ireland represents only a fraction of the original resource, due to the combined impacts of afforestation and overgrazing, and intact examples are therefore extremely valuable for nature conservation. Their long-term survival requires sensitive management. The presence of wet heath, dry heath and acid grassland on the site, and the occurrence of Cranberry, a large population of Lesser Twayblade and several Red Data Book species, adds significantly to its conservation value Step 3 Characteristics of the Site Corry Mountain Bog NHA is significant for its intact upland blanket bog. The site drains into the Owengar River via surface streams on its northern side. Most likely impacts The NHA is upstream of the treatment plant and so will not be affected by the effluent. Step 4 Assessment of significance Water Services Schemes - Natural Heritage Checklist for Local Authorities (L8/08) 1. Is the development in or on the boundary of a nature conservation site NHA/SAC/SPA? yes 2. Will nationally protected species be directly impacted? Wildlife Acts (1976 and 2000), Flora Protection order (S.I. 94 of 1999)? No 3. Is the development a surface water discharge or abstraction in the surface water catchment 1, or immediately downstream of a nature conservation site with water dependant qualifying habitats/ species 2? no

5 4. Is the development a groundwater discharge or abstraction in the ground water catchment 1 or within 5 km of a nature conservation site with water-dependant qualifying habitats/species 2? No 5. Is the development in the surface water or groundwater catchment of salmonid waters? no 6. Is the treatment plant in an active or former floodplain or flood zone of a river, lake, etc? No 7. Is the development a surface discharge or abstraction to or from marine waters 3 and within 3km of a marine nature conservation site? no 8. Will the project in combination with other projects (existing and proposed) or changes to such projects affect the hydrology or water levels of sites of nature conservation interest or the habitats of protected species? No Note 1. If there is a WFD sub basin plan for the sites or its protected habitats and the plan covers all potential receptors, i.e. habitats and species, this plan can be used as the basis for screening and impact assessment. Note 2. Estuaries are considered part of a catchment. Note 3. Any marine area including estuaries No significant effects on Corry Mountain Bog NHA are likely so no further assessment is required. There is no reasonable scientific doubt that Drumkeeran waste water treatment plant will have any effect Corry Mountain NHA.