Over fifty water quality stakeholders – members of the South East Regional Operational Committee – gathered in Dungarvan last week for their quarterly meeting which included a very interesting local field trip.
Discussions focused on Agriculture, Rainwater Management Planning and Nature-based Solutions (NbS). Several themes were addressed on the day including a presentation on the National Agriculture Inspections Programme by the EPA and DAFM, and a residuals risk assessment presentation by Uisce Éireann.
Chaired by Padraig O’Gorman, Director of Services for Carlow County Council, and facilitated by Dr Fran Igoe of the River Basin Management Service, the committee comprises local authorities in the region, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Forest Services, Coillte, Teagasc, Uisce Éireann, National Federation of Group Water Scheme, Office of Public Works, Environmental Protection Agency, the River Basin Management Service among others.
On the day, there was also a very interesting section on the rainwater management planning process with JBA Consultants and Waterford City and County Council, as planners revealed how they put together the plan for the greater Dungarvan region. The afternoon session included a fieldtrip across Dungarvan from the perspective of rainwater management planning and identifying NbS and biodiversity opportunities.
