Two Carrick-on-Suir projects aim to reduce pollutants from run off surface water

Work is underway at a riverside amenity area in Carrick-on-Suir on installing nature based measures that will remove pollutants in run off road surface water before it enters the Suir. 

The project at the Bog Field in Carrickbeg is being carried out by Tipperary County Council with technical engineering support and funding from the Local Authority Waters Programme. 

Details of the project were outlined by LAWPRO’s Southern Regional Co-ordinator Dr Fran Igoe as part of a presentation on LAWPRO’s work at Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District’s latest monthly meeting. 

He described how the project involved constructing “interceptor areas” namely and vegetated swales, which are broad shallow channels with dense vegetation, and water treatment ponds, to channel and filter surface  water to clean it naturally before it enters the Suir. 

Dr Igoe pointed out these nature based solutions remove 90% of heavy metal pollutants from run off water and also take out some hydrocarbons, ie. diesel and petrol fuel, and microplastics from water run off.   They also slow down the speed that surface water enters  the river. 

Dr Igoe highlighted to The Nationalist this part of the River Suir is one of the most important spawning areas in the country for the twaite shad fish and is in  a Special Conservation area. 

The Municipal District meeting, meanwhile,  heard this isn’t the only nature based project tackling surface water run-off taking place in Carrick at the moment. 

The revamp of Ormond Castle Park as part of the first phase of the Carrick-on-Suir Regeneration Scheme includes the construction of “rain gardens” in the park. 

The gardens comprise a free draining soil mix that cleans, stores and conveys run off water to a drainage layer. Surface water is directed towards the rain gardens from hard paved areas rather than to drains. These gardens feature plants that can withstand water logging. 

Dr Igoe outlined how car parks are other urban areas where rain gardens are being constructed to take and clean run off surface water. 

He said LAWPRO is working with the Department of Housing on a national programme to include these climate resilience measures in the design of new housing developments. 

He encouraged the public to think of the public realm in relation to their homes and businesses and introduce nature based solutions to deal with water run off from their properties.  

He told The Nationalist he was recently in Canada where many people have rain gardens at their homes to absorb heavy rain fall  rather than directing it into gullies. 

Carrick-on-Suir Cllr David Dunne praised the good work LAWPRO is doing to improve water quality in our waterways after hearing Dr Igoe’s presentation at the meeting of Carrick  District councillors. 

The Sinn Féin councillor said he previously had a row with the Council’s Environment Section as he thought the Bog Field should be developed into a skateboard park for the town’s youth. 

However, he now saw where the Council and LAWPRO were coming from on seeing the work that is being done there. 

Cllr Dunne  also highlighted to Dr Igoe the pressing need for more hedgerows and ditches in fields due to the level of flooding he has witnessed in recent times. “I have never seen the like of it,” he said. 

Dr Igoe agreed the removal of hedgerows and ditches is causing a problem with extra water run off onto roads and said road engineers are seeing problems arising where land had been restructured. He said LAWPRO’s view is  to “protect and save” hedgerows and ditches where possible.

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