Minutes of 18th Meeting of the WFD Co-ordination Group, 29 May 2003 held in Custom House, Dublin 1 Attended: Mr. John Sadlier (DEHLG) Mr. Pat Duggan (DEHLG) Mr. Andy Bogie (DEHLG) Dr. Liz Sides (DEHLG) Mr. Jim Ryan (DEHLG) Dr. Paul Toner (EPA) Mr. Larry Stapleton (EPA) Dr. Micheal Lehane (EPA) Dr. Garrett Kilroy (EPA –TCD) Mr. Philip Mc Mahon (DCMNR) Mr. Micheal Ó Cinnéide (MI) Ms. Jacqui Doyle (MI) Mr. Trevor Champ (CFB) Mr. Edmund Dunlop (LGCSB) Ms. Tara Kerins (LGCSB) Mr. Matt Sinnott (DAF) Mr. Tom Leahy (Dublin City Council -ERBMP) Mr. Enda Thompson (SRBMP) Mr. Sean Ó Breasail (Cork County Council) Ms. Máire Ní Chionna (Galway County Council) Dr. Colin Byrne (Carlow County Council – SERBD) Apologies: Mr. Gerry Flannery (DEHLG) Ms. Beatrice Kelly (Heritage Council) Ms. Margaret Keegan (EPA) Ms. Rosanna Nolan (Waterways Ireland) Mr. Tom Bolger (OPW) Dr. Greg Forde (WRFB) Mr. Donal Daly (GSI) Mr. Tom Tarpey (Limerick County Council) 1. Adoption of the Agenda: The draft agenda was adopted. 2. Minutes of the 17th Meeting: Minutes were adopted subject to minor amendments. 3. Matters Arising from the Minutes: Dr. Sides asked when the SEA Directive is likely to be transposed into Irish law. Mr. Sadlier undertook to make inquiries in this regard. 1 Dr. Toner asked if there any ecological symbols available for download from the private website. Ms. Kerins said the list is ongoing and additional ecological symbols will be added in the future. Mr. Stapleton invited Co-ordination Group Members to a meeting of the National Environment Monitoring Programme for Transition, Coastal and Marine Waters, which will be held at the EPA Regional Inspectorate, Clonskeagh Road on Thursday 12 June 2003. Mr. Bogie will circulate the invitation via email to the Group Members. Mr. Ó Cinnéide circulated a Marine Institute – EPA Draft Publication ‘Celtic Voyager Survey – An Assessment of the Environmental Quality of Coastal and Estuarine Waters around Ireland’. 4. Report on 1st Meeting of the Characterisation Group (WFD: art.5) Dr. Lehane said the objective of the Working Group was to develop and report a consolidated and consistent approach for characterisation of rive basin districts. The EU Guidance Documents on Characterisation will be examined in an Irish Context. A common national approach will be developed that can be used by all River Basin Management Projects. A short discussion followed concerning the practicalities of characterisation. Mr. Duggan said the whole point of the group was to develop a ‘thinking process’ that could be used to bring forward the work done at a European Level. Mr. Sinnott said that the Working representation from Agriculture. Group should have some Dr. Lehane said that he would liaise with DAF with a vie to securing such representation. Mr. Duggan said that it is critical that a good judgement call is made on monitoring. Assessments are to be made using the best available information, 5. Report on 1st Meeting of the Public Participation Group (WFD: art.5) Mr. Sadlier said that the first meeting was held on 18 May 03 and circulated the Draft Minutes (the final version of the minutes will be made available on the website). The question of public participation 2 involves complex and sensitive issues and the group is compiling information in relation to existing partnership structures. The next meeting will be held in the afternoon following this meeting of Coordination Group. The NGO’s VOICE and Birdwatch Ireland have been invited on an informal basis to the afternoon meeting. Mr. Sadlier said that VOICE had submitted proposals to DEHLG for funding a full time co-ordinator to support eNGOs participating in the implementation of the WFD. The proposals are being considered by DEHLG. Dr. Byrne said that there would be a workshop on public participation in the South East on 14 June 2003. Dr. Byrne said the outcome of the workshop will be reported to the working group. 6. North-South Activities Update (WGWQ, NS-TAG) Mr. Duggan said the next meeting of NS-TAG would be held on 18 June 2003. At this Meeting the Group will finalise and agree the draft consultants brief for the Joint N-S Characterisation Project. Following agreement the draft brief will be submitted to the NS-WGWQ for approval. The project will cost an estimated €8 million and will provide classification tools for fresh and marine waters that will be able to be used across the whole island of Ireland. INTERREG IIIA funding support will be sought. Mr. O’ Cinnéide said that the N-S project appears to indicate a funding imbalance with the projects in the South. Mr. Sadlier said that DEHLG has committed significant resources to the River Basin Management Projects and it is a matter for all agencies to identify and provide the appropriate resources to meet their obligations under the Directive. Mr. Duggan said that the whole island of Ireland lies within a single eco region and any benefits coming from projects on a North South basis would benefit projects in the South. A short discussion followed and it was suggested that a costing exercise should be embarked upon in order to estimate the total resource requirement for the timely implementation of the WFD. 3 Mr. Sadlier emphasised that each public authority is responsible for resourcing and discharging it own functions under the WFD. Consideration will be given in DEHLG to a broad-based costing exercise for WFD implementation. There has been no meeting of the NS-WGWQ since the last meeting of the Co-ordination Group. The meeting was originally for the 1 May 2003 but the date has now to be rescheduled. 7. UK Developments The next meeting of UK TAG will be held in the Custom House, Dublin on 5 June 2003. Mr. Duggan said the Group are working very much on the same issues as the Co-ordination Group and some of the work set to emerge from the Group will be very useful for Ireland. Mr. Duggan will attend the UK TAG Meeting as an observer. 8. River Basin Management Projects Western River Basin Management Project Approval is expected soon. South Western River Basin Management Project Proposals are being developed and DEHLG are currently considering the final draft of the consultants brief. The first Steering Group meeting will be held on 17 June 2003. South Eastern River Basin Management Project Dr. Byrne said the draft characterisation report was reviewed at the most recent meeting of the Management Group. Interviews are now taking place for the post of chemist. A public participation workshop will be held on 14 June 2003. Shannon River Basin Management Project Mr. Thompson said the revised work programme for the Characterisation Report is underway. The SRMBP public information website is up and running and any feedback on its design, format etc would be appreciated. The first meeting of the SRMBP Management Group will be held on 4 June 2003. Eastern River Basin Management Project The project was approved in April 2003 and commencement is imminent. 4 9. Next Meeting Thursday 17 July 2003 at the North Star Hotel, Amiens Street, Dublin 1. 10. AOB − New Groundwater Directive (WFD: art.5) The EU Commission has indicated that a formal proposal for a Directive on groundwater will be available in July 2005. Mr. Stapleton made available copies of the new EPA interim report ‘Towards Setting Guideline Values for the Protection of Groundwaters in Ireland’. Further copies of this report can be obtained from EPA (Mr. Stapleton or Ms. Keegan). − Proposed New Bathing Water Directive The European Parliament will have the first reading of the proposed directive in September/October 2003. Member States have indicated a wide range of issues of concern in relation to the proposed Directive. − Public Participation Mr Sadlier asked the Group to consider for discussion at the next meeting of the Co-ordination Group the inclusion NGO representatives of in the National Co-ordination Group. This will be an agenda item at the next meeting. − Economic Analysis Dr. Kilroy is carrying out a research fellowship to test the EU Guidance Documents on the Shannon River Basin District. One of the Guidance Documents being tested is Economic Analysis. Economic Analysis is a requirement under Article 5 of the WFD. Dr. Kilroy will initiate a desktop study under the ERTDI Programme. The study will begin in June 2003 and is expected to take two months. Mr. Sadlier said that DEHLG are still considering the best approach to deliver economic analysis on a consistent national basis, which can be readily incorporated in to work being developed by RBM projects. The meeting concluded at 12.45pm. 5 6
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