The power of collaboration for water quality improvement

What follows are details of a case study which describes the collaborative approach undertaken to mitigate the effects of losses of nutrient and sediment on the ecology of the Dysart River, and Lilliput on Lough Ennell.

The approach adopted in this case highlights how poor water quality can have an effect on an entire community and why it takes community action to fix it.

Joan Martin, Local Authority Water Programme (LAWPRO) catchment scientist, outlines how Lough Ennell was designated a priority area by Westmeath County Council and selected as an area for action by LAWPRO.

“The Dysart stream was selected as a Priority Area for Action (PAA) under the Second Cycle of the River Basin Management Plan because it was thought to be polluting Lilliput bathing waters,” Joan said. Lilliput Adventure Centre is a water sports centre that was in danger of being closed down due to increasing levels of pathogens detected in the lake.

Before action could be taken, a scientific investigation was needed to identify the exact location and source of pathogens.

Joan said: “LAWPRO undertook a desktop assessment and assessed the status of the river, looking at the biology, chemistry and all information available.”

The source of the problem was soon identified. “We found that (the Dysart Stream) was not meeting its ecological objectives of ‘good’ water quality and we were having agricultural pollution in the stream. Excess phosphorous and sediment were causing water quality issues.”

Although the upper catchment of the stream had ‘good’ water quality status, the lower part, where it entered the lake, was deemed ‘moderate’. Animal faeces were identified as the source of the pathogens, which meant that cattle slurry was escaping from local farms to the stream feeding into the lake.

“Once we were aware of that, we carried out macroinvertebrate assessments and we walked certain sections of the river and pinned down the areas that we thought were more problematic than others. We referred those to the local Teagasc Agricultural Sustainability Support Advisory Programme (ASSAP) advisor to engage with the farming community in those areas.”

A PAA meeting was called with local farmers in July 2019 and the work to improve water quality in Lough Ennell began.

David Fay, who farms on the shores of Lough Ennell, remembers the meeting well: “Joan Martin asked if I would engage, and I agreed. All the local farmers came together, and Joan highlighted that the quality of the water was dropping and suggested different measures that we could take.”

Once the local farmers became aware of the problem, David Webster, ASSAP adviser based at Teagasc in Mullingar, became involved. “My role is to engage with the farmers in the PAA, both as a group and as individuals,” he said.

“We highlighted the general issues in the PAA first, and that was backed up by individual farm visits where we identified individual measures that need to be improved on farms.”

Remedial Measures

David Webster explained how he and 22 other farmers worked together to find solutions. “It was identified that slurry spreading at certain times of the year can be an issue with pathogens in the stream and also cattle access points – cattle drinking in the stream.

“In the case of the lake here, under good farm practice (Good Agricultural Practice Regulations), the farmer is obliged to keep 20 metres back from the lake, but I felt that the 20 metres wasn’t sufficient.”

ASSAP advisers have observed instances where the most impactful farm-level actions that benefit catchment-level water quality can prove costly for individual farmers. Recognising that, the Water European Innovation Partnership (EIP) project can provide funding to design and implement measures to address challenges in collaboration with farmers.

It has found that solar-powered cattle drinkers on farms where cattle are excluded from rivers has catchment-wide benefits.

David Fay picks up the story concerning his own farm: “My problem here was that the cattle were going into the river to drink. I fenced off the drinking points and put in a solar pump to pump the water out of the river rather than letting the cattle into it.”

He is delighted with the results: “The water system going in has been a huge improvement. We now have a water system where we didn’t have one before, and we now have troughs all over the farm.”

That has given more flexibility for his grazing strategy, and it has also made David’s life easier. “I can split fields four ways now. We used to be guided by the fields and the drains and where animals could get in and out. We were constantly fencing because of cattle breaking them down.”

David is now so committed to playing his part in improving local water quality that he is prepared to go the extra mile. “Because I am so close to the lake, I keep back 100 metres as a buffer zone for slurry. All the dry drains, I am keeping back into the field because (this area is) so sensitive to slurry. We’re keeping back about 30 metres.”

He agrees that it is important to get the spreading of slurry right. “You have to be mindful of the weather conditions, the height of the grass and the time of the year that you are doing it. With the weather, that can be challenging but it’s challenging for everyone,” he said.

Conclusion

At the core of this case study is the unique relationship between LAWPRO scientists and community officers and ASSAP advisers who foster individual relationships with the landowners who are working hard to put remedial actions in place.

Farmers were understandably cautious when first approached. “Initially you would be afraid in case you’d be getting the blame,” says David Fay, “but then when you start engaging with them (LAWPRO and ASSAP staff), and they were grand, no problem at all when doing the tasks.”

David and the other farmers on the Dysart stream now recognise the beneficial outcomes of their involvement in the WaterMARKE project. “When you work with it and get into the idea that the water quality is deteriorating in the country, these things do work and we are making a difference,” David said.

He also highlights the impact of the WaterMARKE project and how it “seems to have worked well with the water quality overall, and the other farmers seem to be quite happy”.

Today, numerous farmers have improved their farm infrastructure and are now perceived as contributors to solutions rather than contributors to problems in the community.

The WaterMARKE research project has chronicled the development of an innovative, collaborative and participatory innovative approach to water quality improvement across Ireland. The process is being replicated in priority areas for action across the country and ASSAP are reporting positive cooperation from farmers.

According to the EPA, areas where LAWPRO and ASSAP are working together are seeing improvements in water quality trends.

The high level of engagement of farmers with the ASSAP programme has also provided a valuable research opportunity to examine the socioeconomic and behavioural drivers of the high adoption rates of water quality mitigation measures.

Publications and further details on the WaterMARKE Project are available on the Teagasc website at: teagasc.ie/rural-economy/rdp-research/watermarke.

Westmeath County Council, the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) and the Lough Ennell Trout Preservation Association (LETPA), have recently launched the Lough Ennell Catchment Management Plan.

Larger national-level initiatives such as the Farming for Water EIP and the Waters for Life EIP aim to improve water quality through the implementation of effective management practices across a range of catchment zones and priority action areas nationwide.

Participants:

Local Authority Water Programme (LAWPRO), Teagasc Agricultural Sustainability Support Advisory Programme (ASSAP), 23 local farmers, and the Water European Innovation Partnership (EIP).

Presented by the WaterMARKE research project and CAP Network Ireland. CAP Network Ireland, which is co-funded by the European Union and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, champions sustainable agriculture and rural innovation.

Its mission is to nurture connections, spark innovation and present funding opportunities within Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023-2027.