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Pollardstown

For release 25 February 2001

IRELAND'S ENVIRONMENTAL NGOS SUPPORT
POLLARDSTOWN FEN CONCERNS

Ireland's leading environmental NGOs today issued a joint statement fully supporting the Inland Waterways Association's concerns over the potential damage from the Kildare By-pass on Pollardstown Fen and the Grand Canal.

Pollardstown Fen is the largest and most important spring fed fen in Ireland. There is simply not enough known about the complex and unstable hydro-geology of the Curragh Aquifer to ensure that the design will not damage rare and internationally protected flora and fauna.

In the eight years since the 1993 Public Road's Enquiry, it became clear that the design was fatally flawed. The original cutting would have drained more than 5 million gallons of water a day from the ground.

But the subsequent assessment of the new "plastic tanking" solution ignored the warning of Dúchas, the competent national authority and failed to allow the public or NGOs to comment.

This urgently needed by-pass could proceed without further delays and with minimum risk to nature conservation ­ if it was left on the surface.

Irish Peatland Conservation Council, An Taisce, BirdWatch Ireland, Coastwatch, Friends of the Irish Environment, Irish Wildlife Trust,VOICE

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Background Case Notes - Pollardstown Fen
Kildare bypass - the threat to Ireland's largest fen SAC

Pollardstown fen is the largest known Valley fen in Ireland. It is the main
water supply for the grand canal system. It is also home to some of Irelands
most threatened plants and animals. Despite efforts in the past of drainage
and reclamation large areas of the system have remained intact and natural.
This is largely due to the vigorous calcareous springs at the site.

In the case of Pollardstown the succession to raised bog has been prevented
by the input of alkaline rich water from calcareous springs.

Pollardstown Fen is of international importance as this type of fen is now
rare in Ireland and Western Europe. In addition a number of rare plants and
animals occur on the fen. The site is generally regarded by botanists as one
of the most important sites in the country. The educational value of the fen
is rated as being very high.

The area of the fen is 220 hectares and is situated on the Northern edge of
the Curragh, Co. Kildare.

Pollardstown is a National Nature Reserve since 1986. It is also a Special
Area of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive. Three habitats listed
on Annex I of the Habitats Directive occur in the area, they are:- Alkaline
fen, calcareous fen and petrifying springs with tufa formation. Three
species which are a priority for conservation and are listed in the
directive also occur at the site including Drepanocladus vernicosus, Vertigo
geyeri (Whorl Snail), and Lutra lutra, (Otter).

In 1993 when the first environmental impact study was carried out on the
proposed Kildare by-pass. The Irish Peatland Conservation Council lobbied
Kildare County Council. The IPCC expressed concern regarding the possible
hydrological effects the motorway development would have on Pollardstown
Fen. These concerns were subsequently ignored by the County Council when the
plan for the by-pass was approved.

The planned building of the road will involve cutting six metres deep into
the mid Kildare aquifer which supplies the Fen with its vital nutrient rich
water. The original idea of sinking the road to such a depth was to protect
the "amenities of the area" which did not however, extend to include
Pollardstown Fen.

Preliminary work on the site was halted in 1998 by the European Commission
just prior to the construction contracts being signed, following a complaint
made by An Taisce. The Irish authorities then accepted that the road as
designed would have adverse effects on the entire areas water supply. To
overcome these problems the developers proposed to seal the sunken road in a
plastic membrane to keep back the flow of water.

Towards the end of 1999 the Department of the Environment and Kildare County
Council sent reports to Europe in support of the plastic lining proposal.
Their expert's opinion is that the expected change in water level in the fen
will be a decrease of between 20 cm and 30 cm. This same expert reported
that a fall of 50 cm in Holland resulted in permanent acidification on a fen
there. If a similar significant drop in Pollardstown Fens water table
occurred, this would be detrimental to the habitats and species of the fen,
reducing the conservation value of the site and adversely affecting its
biodiversity.

A further concern is that the proposed design is not tried and tested in a
similar area. There are a number of problems that could arise. A similar
project has been undertaken in Holland but the geology of that area is less
permeable and as a consequence less water loss was involved and less upward
pressure affected the system.

Many believe the best solution would be to build the road on the surface so
as to have as little an impact as possible on the hydrology of the fen and
surrounding area.

At present the European Commission are considering the likely effect of the
development and their position in regard to funding the project, which will
cost in the region of 50 million pounds.

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Irish Peatland Conservation Council
119 Capel Street
Dublin 1
Ireland

Tel: +353-1-8722384
Fax: +353-1-8722397

e-mail: bogs@ipcc.ie
web: http://www.ipcc.ie

IPCC - Action for Bogs & Wildlife - Ag caomhnu na bportach

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