*Inagh River. Photograph: Ruairí Ó Conchúir.
CONVERSATIONS have commenced on the discussions and design of a model for the catchment community forum in North Clare.
Organised by the Local Authority Water Programme (LAWPRO), a community workshop on public participation on water catchment management brought a strong crowd to The Falls Hotel in Ennistymon.
Community groups and representatives from across the Mal Bay Catchment, in North and West Clare, met to discuss and help co-design a model for a Catchment Community Forum for the Mal Bay Catchment and for other catchments across Ireland. The Catchment Conversation workshop was focused on improving local water quality and to review ways to actively include communities in the river basin management process.
This is part of a wider national initiative to develop a model for community and public participation in the next River Basin Management Plan (RBMP) which is due to be published shortly and will run from 2024 to 2027. The Plan is Ireland’s roadmap for restoring and protecting water quality across Ireland’s 46 river catchments.
One of the elements within the River Basin Management Plan, is to put in place catchment community fora that meet the needs of local communities and their involvement in water quality matters and integrated catchment management. The Mal Bay catchment was chosen as one of five pilot areas in Ireland on account of its regional significance in the South West, the nature of the water quality pressures, and the fact that local community groups are active on the ground.
On the day of the workshop, LAWPRO’s Community Water Officer Ruairí Ó Conchúir outlined the importance of the event to enhance public participation in water management Ireland. He detailed some of the work that is already taking place in North and West Clare by local community groups including the Restore Ballymacraven River Association, the Inagh EIP, local farmers and forestry owners to protect water quality. He also highlighted the importance of water quality and how it is linked to the social and economic fabric of the West Coast of Clare, highlighting the importance of surfing to the local economy.
Niamh Rogan, LAWPRO’s Catchment Manager for the South West region, gave a presentation on the water quality status of the Mal Bay catchment. She presented detailed maps of the main rivers, lakes and coastal water bodies and noted the water quality pressures in the catchment. Large scale maps of the local water bodies and water quality pressures were displayed on the day for attendees to review.
Phillip Isard with Quality Matters outlined the purpose of the workshop, co-facilitating the session, with the support of LAWPRO staff, from both the catchment science and community teams. A range of questions and potential management scenarios were presented and workshopped by the participants. The workshop also included a discussion on the type of model a catchment community forum could be, with various community perspectives taking on board, and fully recorded.
There were some questions specific to the Mal Bay catchment concerning coastal water quality and ensuring that any Catchment Community Forum to emerge would take on board the concept of ‘From Source to Sea’ and be fully inclusive of a diverse range of actors in the catchment. Discussions also took place on how better joined-up thinking could be achieved to ensure that all waterbodies in the catchment could be better protected and done so in-partnership with local community groups and implementing bodies at a local, regional and national level.
Community groups represented on the day included the Restore Ballymacraven River Association, the Inagh EIP, Burren Beo, Surfrider Chapter Lahinch, the Inagh River Catchment Management Association, Cuan Beo, Hometree, Ben’s Surf Clinic, the IFA, local farmers, as well as local anglers, local artists and private individuals with an interest in the Mal Bay catchment.
As part of the next steps in the process, feedback from the workshop and other information, will be used to prepare a synthesis report. This will be prepared by Quality Matters and presented, along with the output from the other pilot catchment areas, to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for consideration during implementation of the next River Basin Management Plan. You can access the latest Catchment Assessment for Mal Bay on the EPA website www.catchments.ie: https://www.catchments.ie/data/#/catchment/28
