EPA - Ireland's Environment 2016 - An Assessment

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Ireland’s Environment – An Assessment 2016 76
to hypoxic (low oxygen) or even anoxic (no oxygen)
conditions directly below the cages. Of the licensed marine
finfish sites surveyed during 2012, 2013 and 2014, 79%,
88% and 66%, respectively, were considered compliant
with the environmental standards identified in the benthic
monitoring protocol12 for the status of the seafloor and
benthic communities in the vicinity of finfish operations
(F. O’Beirn, Marine Institute, June 2016, personal
communication).
Responses
River Catchment Planning
Implementation of locally based river catchment
planning is the key to protecting water quality.
A key theme identified by the Blueprint to Safeguard
Europe’s Water Resources was the need for those
responsible for managing water resources to improve
governance (EC, 2012). There is general acceptance that
the governance arrangements put in place in Ireland
to deliver the first cycle of RBMPs were not effective.
Arrangements were overly complex and responsibilities
were poorly defined, with no single body having overall
responsibility for developing the plans and overseeing
delivery of the programmes of measures.
This has been remedied by a new three-tier governance
structure13 (Figure 5.9), the merging of the River Basin
Districts through legislation to form one national River
Basin District and a single national approach for the
development of RBMPs for the second cycle (Figure 5.10).
In relation to the North Western and Neagh Bann
International River Basin Districts, a single administrative
area is being established in the south for the purpose
of co-ordinating water management with authorities in
Northern Ireland. A Local Authority Water & Community
Office (LAWCO) has now been established operating from
three regional locations. Key to delivery is a focus on local
level action centred on catchments.
Underpinning the new water governance arrangements for
managing water is the integrated catchment management
approach, which complements the river basin planning
process. It approaches sustainable resource management
from a catchment perspective, in contrast to a piecemeal
approach that artificially separates land management from
water management. Other supporting initiatives include
the establishment of a National Implementation Group,
12
13 The Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government
has now established a new three-tier governance structure, the basis
of which is set out in statute in the European Union (Water Policy)
Regulations 2014 (SI 350 of 2015).
a Water Policy Advisory Committee and a Catchment
Management Network to promote information sharing and
collaboration across all organisational bodies and consistent
implementation of the plans.
14 –
Figure 5.9 New Governance Structure for
Managing Water Resource in Ireland14
• Led by the Department of Housing, Planning,
Community and Local Government
• Policy, regualations and resources
• Sign-off of River Basin Management Plans
Tier 1: National Management
and Oversight
• Led by EPA
• Monitoring, assessment and reporting
• Evaluation and implementation of measures
• Template for River Basin Management Plans
• Monitoring of enforcement tasks and
environmental outcomes
• Led by the lead Coordinating Authority
• Local authority monitoring, licensing and
enforcement actions
• Detailed River Basin Management Plans
• Implementation of Programme of Measures by
relevant public bodies, tracking and reporting,
in consultation with EPA
Tier 2: National Technical
Implementation and Reporting
Tier 3: Regional Implementation
via Water Networks