Annual Report 2011.pdf (size 6 MB) - Offaly County Council

Gateway initiative. We continue to promote and support
litter awareness, especially during national spring clean
week.
We have, in conjunction with the County Enterprise
Board and the EPA, developed closer links with the
Business Sector and we continue to support a pilot
programme to promote green business within Offaly. In
conjunction with Water Services we hosted two
breakfast seminars in Tullamore and Birr to promote
water conservation and green business initiatives.
PROTECTION OF NATURAL WATERS
Water Framework Directive:
Offaly is affiliated to three River Basin Districts (RBDs);
namely the Shannon International River Basin District,
the Eastern River Basin District and the South Eastern
River Basin District, and in March we recommended the
adoption of River Basin Management Plans for each of
the three RBDs. We continue to implement an extensive
operational monitoring programme of the rivers and
groundwater within the county.
We have identified point and diffuse source pressures
within each river basin districts that may be contributing
to the quality status of the surface waters. These
pressures were the basis of the Programme of Measures
(POMs) set out in each of the River Basin Management
Plans. These Programmes of Measures are designed to
maintain existing water status and improve where
possible.
We continued to investigate activities, such as
agriculture, septic tanks, commercial, and industrial
discharges to surface waters, within the catchment area
of designated rivers with poor status and to identify and
implement remediation measures.
Protection of Groundwater:
Staff from the Environment Section implement the
revised Code of Practice for the assessment of on site
waste water treatment systems for single houses. This
code requires a far more comprehensive and onerous
site assessment from the previous standard.
We carried out investigations of Zone of Contributions of
Public Water Supply boreholes and prepared Aquifer
Protection Plans; based on the perceived risk from
agricultural, domestic, commercial and industrial
activities to the groundwater quality. This reflects a
comprehensive approach by the council to protect the
raw water quality of our public supplies and by inference
the health of the people of Offaly.
BURIAL GROUNDS
We commenced the implementation of the Council’s new
Offaly Local Authorities Annual Report 2011
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