Page 86 - Donegal CC An Rpt 19

Donegal County Council Annual Report 2019
Pollution Control | Conserve, manage, support & promote our arts, culture, environment, heritage and languages
The Council’s Central Laboratory undertakes a range of monitoring programmes aimed
at environmental protection and pollution control in the areas of Water and Air and Noise, including:
· Commercial / industrial discharges to sewers (IW) and to waters
· Rivers and lakes
· Septic tank inspections under the
National Inspection Plan
· Bathing water monitoring, (Blue Flag, Green Coast beaches)
· Farm inspections
· Air pollution - Decopaints & Solvents
Regulations, and
· Responding to environmental complaints (water, air & noise).
CatchmentCARE Project
Donegal County Council is the Lead Partner on the five year CatchmentCARE Project which concludes in 2022. The project
is being funded under the Environment measure of the EU Interreg VA programme with an approved budget of almost €14m. Detailed information regarding the Project including the partners involved can be found on the Project’s website www. catchmentcare.eu
The Project is led by Donegal County Council and is tasked with development of three water quality improvement projects in cross- border catchments at the Finn (Donegal -Tyrone); the Arney (Fermanagh-Cavan- Leitrim) and the Blackwater (Armagh-Tyrone- Monaghan) catchments and the installation of 50 groundwater monitoring stations across the region to better understand groundwater in the cross-border catchments and the interaction between groundwater & surface water bodies.
At the Finn the Loughs Agency have led
out on ‘in-stream and riparian’ works commencing at the Cummirk and have concentrated on securing planning permissions with associated Natura Impact Statements and also landowner permissions. Work also progressed on addressing a chemical export issue at the Finn with survey work and mapping of sheep dip and forestry locations.
The Groundwater Team drilled the first of the groundwater monitoring stations (80m & 36m deep boreholes) at Saint Columba’s College, Stranorlar with plans to provide relays to screens in the class room.
The CatchmentCARE Project through
a ‘Community Incentive Scheme’ also supported three community groups in the Finn, including:
1. Ballybofey and Stranorlar Integrated Community Company (BASICC) - Finn through the lens project;
2. Coiste Sli an Taobh an Mhuillinn - Millside Walk at Fintown, and
3. The Finn Anti-Pollution Project - FinnAPP which is an exciting Environmental/Conservation project in the Corlacky area.
The Project also progressed plans to add an irrigated willow plantation as an added level of treatment to a Council owned housing development at Liscooley.
Waste Management
Donegal County Council is one of 9 Local Authorities that makes up the Connacht Ulster Waste Region. A Regional Waste Management Plan is in place that sets out waste management aims and objectives until 2021.