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The County Clare Wetlands Survey Patrick Crushell & Peter Foss 2008 ___________________________________________________________ Eutrophic lakes Natural Eutrophic lakes are an Annex 1 habitat under the EU Habitats Directive. Eutrophic lakes and ponds that are high in nutrients and base-rich and the water is usually discoloured or turbid, often grey to green in colour, from the abundant algae and suspended matter present. Some water bodies are naturally eutrophic but most Irish lakes are eutrophic as a result of enrichment and high levels of nutrients entering the water. Characteristic aquatic plants of eutrophic lakes and ponds include Duckweeds (Lemna spp.), Pondweeds (Potamogeton spp.) and Spiked Water-milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum). Submerged aquatics are usually rare or are restricted to shallow waters owing to poor light penetration. Reed beds on sheltered shores and dense stands of fringing vegetation are characteristic of eutrophic lakes and ponds. The main threat to this lake type is further nutrient enrichment caused by human activities. Some small field ponds in the area surrounding Ennis were categorised as Eutrophic by Tubridy (2006). No natural eutrophic lakes have been recorded from County Clare. 19
The County Clare Wetlands Survey Patrick Crushell & Peter Foss 2008 ___________________________________________________________ Turloughs Priority habitat under the EU Habitats Directive. Turloughs are seasonal lakes that occupy basins or depressions in limestone areas, and where water levels fluctuate markedly during the year. They are virtually unique to Ireland and their greatest concentration is in counties Clare, Galway and Roscommon. The general pattern is to flood in winter and dry out in summer, but there may be other sporadic rises in response to periods with high rainfall levels. Turloughs normally fill through underground passages and sinkholes in the limestone, but some also have inflowing rivers or streams. Some turlough basins retain standing water in channels, pools or small lakes when flooding subsides. All areas within the normal limit of flooding are considered as part of the turlough habitat. The presence of the distinctive dark moss, Cinclidotus fontinaloides, on stone walls or rocks can help to establish the flooding level within a turlough. Soils of turlough basins can include marls, peat, clays or loams. Large boulders or exposures of bedrock may also be present. Nutrient enrichment and inappropriate grazing regimes are the main threats to turlough habitats in Ireland. A well known example of this habitat type is Carran Turlough located in the Burren. 20
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Fossitt Classification Level Fossit
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Fossitt Classification Level Fossit
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Appendix 8. The County Clare Wetlan
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Report Cover Vol I - Clare County Library

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