Cummirk Riparian and Instream Works
The Cummirk
The Cummirk site works have been split into two areas along the Cummirk River, North of Cloghan. The land in this area is a mix of improved and semi improved grassland and is majority used for agricultural practice with sheep farming most prevalent.
There are many different pressures in this area such as:
The Finn catchment is an area of high biodiversity and conservation value. The area is protected by a number of National and International designations that can be explored on this map.
The Cummirk 010 waterbody has been identified as an ‘Area for Action’ within the second cycle River Basin Management Plan for Ireland 2018-2021. These actions will be prioritised to achieve WFD objectives and will be directed towards pressures such as agriculture, urban waste water, domestic wastewater and forestry.
Issues on Site
The Cummirk river at this section suffers from erosion on both sides along its length. The site has intermittent fencing along its length with a small buffer area of approx. 1m. Site walkovers undertaken by CatchmentCARE in the prioritization elements of the project highlighted evidence of livestock entering the river a numerous points and significant poaching. The effects of the erosion impacted the northern bank resulting in the formation of a deep pool and loss of land.
Data before Works
Prior to the works this site was identified as requiring environmental improvement measures based on surveys undertaken in the prioritization elements of the CatchmentCARE project. The metrics surveyed included RHATS (River Hydromorphology Assessment Techniques), macroinvertebrates surveys, fish EQRs (Ecological Quality Ratios) and chemical exports. Every potential site was also walked over by the CatchmentCARE team in order to design bespoke remediation works for the site .
RHAT Survey - Moderate
The River Hydromorphological Assessment Technique (RHAT) is a survey developed by NIEA specifically for the Water Framework Directive (Murphy and Toland, 2012). Hydromorphology describes the physical habitat of a river constituted by the physical form (abiotic and biotic) and flow of the river.
RHAT is designed to be a holistic visual assessment and can be used to assess individual sites. This generates data for 8 relevant variables of habitat quality within 10 sub-sections of a 500m length of channel. Key elements include the flow, sediment type, channel and floodplain dimensions, topography and substratum, continuity and connectivity of a river. Anthropogenic features such as bank protection works, artificial barriers (weirs, dams) and modifications to processes are also included. It is assumed that natural systems support ecology better than modified systems. Hence the RHAT method classifies river hydromorphology based on a departure from naturalness. It assigns a morphological classification directly related to that of the WFD: High, Good, Moderate, Poor and Bad, based on semi-qualitative and quantitative criteria.
More detailed information can be found in the RHAT guidance handbook
Fish EQR – Poor
Electric fishing is undertaken as the standard sampling strategy. A timed, 10-minute fishing protocol is used. In shallow water locations electofishing backpacks are used as a power source and a team of two or three persons undertake the fishing, wading in an upstream direction, one undertaking the fishing and one carrying a bucket to retain captured fish. All fish encountered during the 10-minute fishing period, including crayfish and larval lamprey, are collected and retained in a holding bucket of clean water. All fish are subsequently measured and held in a recovery bin of water from the sampling site until all data collection is completed. Fish are then returned into the sampling site on completion of the site survey. Key elements of the data collection are (a) recording of all fish species encountered i.e. the fish community composition and (b) the length range of all fish within any species (Note: Loughs Agency record length range for salmonids only).
Macros – Not at Risk
An agreement between the Loughs Agency and IFI was made to use the ‘Small Stream Risk Score’ method as a component of the overall EQR value for waterbodies on the Finn. These will be carried out by LA and DCC staff at the same sites that 10 minute electrofishing surveys take place, which are an additional component of the overall EQR scoring system. These data will be used to establish a baseline and will be monitored throughout the life of the project.
Data collected on macroinvertebrate populations will be in a format which can be used to calculate Q-Value scores (which are the standard EPA scoring system) and ASPT & BMWP Scores (which are the standard scoring systems used in Northern Ireland). This will allow these data to be compared temporally to data collected by the LA and EPA at corresponding sites in the past, facilitating observation of a longer trend in data for the use of CatchmentCARE project objectives.
Chemical Export
Remediation Works
Each work package carried out by the Loughs Agency within the Finn Catchment SAC has undergone a thorough Appropriate Assessment and has received approval from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The appropriate assessment for this package can be found bellow:
Appropriate Assessment on Proposed Soft Engineering Works on the Cummirk River:
Appropriate Assessment on Proposed Fencing & Riparian Works on the Cummirk River:
Work involved the introduction of soft engineering measures to mitigate against the erosion of the northern bank of the river and a 5m buffer zone was implemented and planted with a mixture of broad leaf trees. Gravel was also re-graded adjacent to the soft engineering to provide spawning habitat for fish. RHAT scores were impacted due to the small riparian zone, lack of riparian vegetation and erosion of the bank, all of which will be addressed with these measures. The re-grading of gravel will help the survivability of spawning fish in the area and the soft engineering structure will provide refugia and a food source (in the form of macroinvertebrates) for fish in the locality.
The soft engineering measures included:
Details of planning applications can be found here :
The CatchmentCARE Team in partnership with Teagasc have created a best practice demonstration video for the correct procedures for dipping sheep and the disposal of spent sheep dip as well as an infographic leaflet on the correct disposal of spent sheep dip.
Info-graphic advising on the safe disposal of sheep dip can be found here:
Info-graphic on Good Agricultural Practice for the Protection of Waters can be found here:
Outcome based Results
Surveys are currently on going and results will be displayed when available, as well as images of the finished remediation works.
The team have been able to capture drone imagery of the Cummirk Stretch and are happy with the naturalisation of the implemented works to the local environment. See the video:
Project Legacy
All restoration projects completed under the CatchmentCARE Project in the Finn Catchment have a built in legacy element. The sites will continue to be monitored by Loughs Agency using macroinvertebrate surveys and electrofishing so that any changes in the river fauna can be detected over time. There is a need to be mindful of seasonal changes and natural fluctuations in the rivers which can only be accurately ascertained with continuous monitoring. Many of the mitigations put in place by the CatchmentCARE Project could take years to really meet their full potential in terms of improving water quality. Legacy sampling regimes will help give a clearer understanding of how works undertaken by CatchmentCARE impact the rivers in the long term.