A Waters of LIFE public meeting will be held in the Fr Flanagan Memorial Centre, Ballymoe on Monday, September 30th to discuss water quality in the Islands and Springfield rivers.
Attending farmers will also be invited to complete Expression of Interest forms for an agri-environment programme, to include a results-based payment element.
Water quality in the area is ‘mixed’ according to a recent summary published by the EU-funded project. The sub-catchment includes Ardeevin, Ballinlough, Ballymoe, Granlahan, Threen, Williamstown and surrounds.
Recent drop-in consultations gave all local residents the chance to air their views and chat about local issues and pressures. Census data indicates about 2,600 people live in that part of north-east Galway and west Roscommon.
Agricultural Scientist John Kelly will give an overview of the project’s agri-environmental programme at the event.
The public meeting in Ballymoe starts at 7.30 pm and project staff will present an update on water quality and the project’s approach to catchment management.
The project’s summary is based on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data and a catchment assessment by the Local Authorities Water Programme (LAWPRO).
The Springfield river has been assigned ‘good’ ecological status by the EPA while the Islands river is a mix of ‘moderate’ and ‘good’ status.
The lower section of the Islands has been given a ‘high status objective’ but is at risk of not meeting that target.
All Irish rivers must have ‘good’ or ‘high’ water quality status under a legal commitment to the EU Water Framework Directive.
