Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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99. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will review the designation of Lough Funshinagh, County Roscommon as a SAC in view of the fact that the former turlough is now effectively a continually rising lake with no outlet which has decimated the typical turlough flora of the site; the steps which the NPWS is taking to maintain the natural hydrological regime necessary to support the natural structure and functioning of the habitat in line with the site conservation objectives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2053/21]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I refer the Deputy to our earlier reply on this matter.

My Department has no immediate plans to re-survey Lough Funshinagh. However I am also considering correspondence received from Deputy Naughten in the past two days.

I understand that the Geological Survey of Ireland have been monitoring water levels on Lough Funshinagh since 2016, and that they have indicated that the levels are due to rainfall rather than blockage or change in the natural draining system. GSI have found that the rate of drainage during dry periods has been consistent since monitoring and the problem is that the drainage rate, in general, is  unusually slow for a turlough its size.

While most turloughs empty each summer, Funshinagh is slow to drain, typically every 4-5 years. It is evident that Funshinagh does not get a chance to ‘reset’ its flood pattern each year. As a consequence, Funshinagh has not drained since before the 2016 flood and is still impacted by this flood. This issue has been further exacerbated by the heavy rainfall in early 2020.  

With regard to the vegetation, I am advised that the typical species of turloughs include species that occur under water as well as those typical of the water’s edge. The SAC is also selected for the EU Habitats Directive Annex I habitat 'Rivers with muddy banks with Chenopodion rubri p.p. and Bidention p.p. vegetation (3270)'.    In 2004 this turlough held one of the largest areas of this habitat in the country.