SEA Environmental Report for the Draft Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028
running off to a single outlet. The WFD requires water quality management to be based on natural river catchments i.e. by reference to the natural, environmental unit rather than by reference to administrative or legal boundaries, which often fragment river catchments. The City lies within the catchment of Lee, Cork Harbour and Youghal Bay. This catchment includes the area drained by the River Lee and all streams entering tidal water in Cork Harbour and Youghal Bay and between Knockaverry and Templebreedy Battery. The main river within Cork City is the River Lee running west to east. Other waterbodies within the City include the Rivers Blackwater and Bandon, Glashaboy Estuary, Lee Estuary and Lough Mahon. 4.9.4 Surface Water Status The WFD defines ‘overall surface water status’ as the general expression of the status of a body of surface water, determined by the poorer of its ecological status and its chemical status. Thus, in order to achieve ‘good surface water status’ both the ecological status and the chemical status of a surface water body need to be at least ‘good’. Ecological status is an expression of the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems associated with surface waters. Such waters are classified as of ‘good ecological status’ when they meet Directive requirements. Chemical Status is a pass/fail assignment with a failure defined by a face-value exceedance of an Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) for one or more Priority Action Substances (PAS) listed in Annex X of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The EQS values for individual PAS substances are set at European level. Good surface water chemical status means that concentrations of pollutants in the water body do not exceed the environmental limit values specified in the Directive. The WFD surface water status (2013-2018), for rivers, lakes and transitional waters within and surrounding the City is shown on Figure 4.9 and
4.9 Water 4.9.1 The Water Framework Directive Since 2000, Water Management in the EU has been directed by the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD). The WFD requires that all Member States implement the necessary measures to prevent deterioration of the status of all waters - surface, ground, estuarine and coastal - and protect, enhance and restore all waters with the aim of achieving good status. All public bodies are required to coordinate their policies and operations so as to maintain the good status of water bodies which are currently unpolluted and improve polluted water bodies to good status. Article 4 of the WFD sets out various exemptions for deterioration in status caused as a result of certain physical modifications to water bodies. This is provided: all practicable mitigation measures are taken; there are reasons of overriding public interest or the benefits to human health, safety or sustainable development outweigh the benefits in achieving the WFD objective; there are no better alternatives; and the reasons for the physical modification are explained in the River Basin Management Plan. The EU’s Common Implementation Strategy Guidance Documents No. 20 and 36 provide guidance on exemptions to the environmental objectives of the WFD. For the purpose of assessment, reporting and management, water is divided into groundwater, rivers, lakes, estuarine waters and coastal waters that are in turn divided into specific, clearly defined water bodies. 4.9.2 Zone of Influence The zone of influence of the Plan beyond the City boundary, with respect to impacts upon waters can be estimated to be all bodies of groundwater and all surface waters downstream areas of catchments that drain the City. 4.9.3 Surface Water Drainage A catchment is an area of land contributing to a waterbody, with all the water ultimately
CAAS for Cork City Council
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