River Vartry Protection Society

New Year’s Message – Passing of Madelaine Jay – Ashford Weir

The funeral of Madelaine Jay is at Nun’s Cross Church today at 12:30 and I think that her passing at 95 years old should be marked by the importance she has played to the River Vartry and for her contribution to Ashford. In reflection, I was struck but the fact that along the river were several important women who’s lives were wound around the river. Madelaine Jay and Maureen Gelletlie both spent their lives caring for and looking after our heritage along the river; Mount Usher Gardens and Hunter’s Hotel. Madeline Jay helped to preserve Mount Usher Gardens from 1980 when she took over from the Walpole family. In 2007 she decided to invite the Donald Pratt and his son to take over the café. Bringing the Avoca brand and the Pratt’s stewardship to the Gardens has re-energised them and helped with it’s long term preservation. Further down at Hunter’s Maureen’s sons, Richard and Tom, continue to care for and preserve Hunter’s. The Pratts, the Gelletlie, and the Jays are members of the River Vartry Protection Society and help to make sure the river remains a clean, vibrant part of our lives. We give a parting thanks to Madelaine as she goes on a new journey.

We also take the moment of New Years to comment on the Weir at Ashford which has traveled somewhere down past Mount Usher! It has been completely destroyed by the flooding and a gaping hole left where the concrete once was. This is a problem. Does Wicklow County Council have the resources to fix it? Can we make sure that the Wicklow County Council will fully consult with the Fisheries Board before doing anything? The Weir has a purpose to keep the levels of the river above that minimum height while not presenting an obstacle to the fish traveling above the weir for spawning. The previous weir was poorly constructed from the standpoint of the fish, but no weir will harm them too. It is a double edged sword but the correct people to deal with its new design are the Fisheries as it is difficult to find the correct solution. We have been in contact with the Fisheries and they are monitoring the situation but it is up to the Wicklow County Council to find the money and to consult the Fisheries for their expertise in this matter. Hopefully a solution will be found.

Happy New Year to you all.

River Basin Management Plan Submission

We have responded to the Minister Kelly’s Public Consultation Document and the full text is below.

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Firstly we would like to introduce ourselves and complement you on a superb document which has already created an excellent platform for cooperation. We hope we can offer something useful to you.

We are the River Vartry Protection Society and are formed and constituted based on a common thread running through our lives, the River Vartry. This is the River Basin we are particularly concerned with and knowledgeable about. We are comprised of all the Riparian Owners along the river and neighbours that surround the river. The vision was that if all these people dedicate themselves to protecting the river, and with our children, lock hands and keep all potential dangers away from the river, it will remain healthy and a natural habitat for the generations to come.

We have the knowledge, have researched the history of the River Vartry, and can act as an active resource for this River Basin. We feel that as a EU protected Salmonoid River, it is important that this resource is un-disturbed. We are active in opposing any planning or development within the Vartry River Basin that could damage the River.

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River Basin Management Plan

The most important document for protection of the River Vartry is the EU regulated River Basin Management Plan (RBMP) which 4 years ago, we contributed to.  We were pleased with the result as the River Vartry was going to be declared “Heavily Modified”, due to the Reservoir.  Because of intervention of the Fisheries this was changed to the Upper and Lower Vartry.  The Lower being natural and unmodified, while the Upper was heavily modified.

Without the help of the Fisheries, it would have been the death of the river.  The plan had a requirement for defining Compensatory Flows for the river by 2015 but there were four responsible bodies, Wicklow County Council, EPA, Fisheries, and the Dublin Corp.  At the time we realised that this was an important decision but would be hard to force to implement as there were four bodies responsible and it would likely fall between the chairs.  Time proved us right.

It is not often that I get an opportunity to praise to the Government but Minister Alan Kelly for the Environment has done a superb job at preparing a Public Consultation Document to get public input prior to the Draft of the RBMP.  To understand just how much he wishes to do a good job, I quote from the introduction, “There is general acceptance that the governance arrangements put in place to deliver the first cycle of river basin management plans did not work well. Arrangements were overly-complex and responsibilities were poorly defined with no single body having overall responsibility for developing the plans and overseeing delivery of the programmes of measures.”  We have great hopes that this second cycle for the RBMP will be much more successful and address some of these weaknesses of the past.
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A New Important Environmental Study for the River Vartry

In this time of recession, we all tend to be busy keeping our “heads above water” but the fish are working to keep their “heads below water”. We had the biggest flood since Hurricane Charlie and drought this summer with the usual hopelessly low water conditions. It is an urgent situation that we now complete the initiative set out in the River Basin Management Plan for the Vartry and not wait until 2015 when it must be complete. It states “Establish Minimum Instream Flow Conditions and requirements for compensation releases to allow flow variations”. Nothing will be done if we are not proactive on this. Recession is a good time to push the authorities to set this Compensatory Flows (according to the EU law), since pressures of development are lessened.

At our first meeting in the fall, we discussed the “Scientific Approach” which was to find a way to equate “flow and level” to “oxygen and temperature” and the necessity of scientific help to develop this equation for the River Vartry. The Central Fisheries Board have been of great help to the River and us by encouraging John Clarke of UCD to make his MSc thesis on the Vartry River. We have been very lucky to have John doing this important work which hopefully will form the backbone of future work to insure that more water flows in the Vartry. John has taken measurements over the past months and is now formalising his results. Once he has published, we will hopefully be able to provide access to the complete study for everyone.
Thanks John from all of us.

Draft Wicklow County Plan Meeting

An Taisce are organising a public meeting in Roundwood on Monday 16th November at 8pm at the Roundwood Community Hall. They have commissioned an experienced environmental planner to discuss the planning process and the plan. This plan is the umbrella plan for the area and is very lacking in regards to all the Rivers and specifically the Vartry. We need to have a submission drafted that will encourage the Wicklow County Council to discuss Rivers for other purposes than just Drinking Water!
If anyone is interested please do attend and help us draft an observation to this important plan.

ERBD River Basin Management Plan Meeting 14th of May

This is an important issue to protecting the future of the River and everyone should go and support this.
Hello All,
We would love to see you all at the Public Information Day for the ERBD River Basin Management Plan this Thursday Afternoon.

* Drop in and find out about Water Quality in your area.
* We will have a stand in the Foyer with Posters, leaflets and PC access to Water Quality maps.
* Project staff will be on hand to help answer any queries you may have, specific or otherwise.
* It is vitally important that we get as many comments on the plans as possible.
* We need input from local people, be it questions, information or criticism.
* This is the only way the plan can be representative and comprehensive.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Venue: County Buildings, Wicklow Town
When: Thursday 14th May 2:00pm – 8:00pm

River Vartry Water Management Directive

According to EU Directives, the Easter Region Basin District is responsible to make a plan for the River Vartry and the Basin. The draft form of this plan is available on the website and is Draft River Basin Management Plan. This was published in December 2008 and should be open for comments from the public until July (The exact date will be supplied as soon as I confirm with the ERBD).
It is important that we now focus on this and try and read the document and give any suggestions and corrections necessary. This is an important document and MUST be carefully checked since it will define what can be done to the river in the future.  Any comments to this post will be appreciated.  I am aware that the Fisheries Board have been and will be working with the ERBD to see that their interests are covered, but all of us who are around the River Vartry should be involved. The Fisheries have already commented that the Vartry must be divided into the Reservoirs which are heavily modified and the River itself which is Natural. The document is a good solid foundation for the future but participation can only improve it.