Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Gurrie for that reply. In my ten years as a councillor, I served on the management committee of the Howth special area amenity order. Within that is a special area of conservation. We did extensive work in that ten years on a range of issues. The changes in groundwater and drainage as well abstractions had major impacts on the habitats and the biodiversity in the area. Virtually every issue we looked at came back to what had happened with groundwater. In non-environmental terms, the changes in groundwater in the area had some severe impacts on flooding because the historical soakage was no longer in place resulting in some severe flooding effects. I have a direct knowledge at a community level as to how relatively small changes in groundwater caused by improvements in drainage and-or abstractions can have a significant range of impacts. That is in an area where much of this was studied and where it is actively managed. I am conscious that most of Ireland would not have that detailed and intense management and ongoing study of areas. I am concerned about that.

The EPA has confirmed that resources would be focused on the areas of greatest risk. There is a rationale and logic to that. I would not want to see many resources dedicated to the areas of lowest risk. The EPA emphasises the areas of greatest risk, but what will the approach to areas of medium risk be?