Water at Santry River and pond in ‘poor condition’, according to council

The water at Santry River and pond in Santry Park is in poor condition, according to Fingal County Council.

The council was responding to a question tabled by Sinn Fein councillor Ann Graves who said there have been reports from park users that their dogs have become sick from drinking the water in the park.

In its reply, the council said that through a study undertaken by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “this stretch of river been determined to be of “poor” status.”

It also said that the stretch of river further downstream in the area governed by Dublin City Council is currently “unassigned” but is assumed “to be of “poor” status also.”

The reason for this, the council says, is due to several different factors.

“The significant pressures identified under the Water Framework Directive, for this stretch of the Santry River are; urban run-off and combined sewer overflows,” it said.

“Local stormwater drainage infrastructure discharges to the river through approximately 60 pipes along its length – some of these have reported misconnections which are under investigation. The river channel has been heavily modified through channelisation. “

According to the council, when the river enters into the Santry Pond, the flow slows down, leading to sediment falling out of suspension and dropping to the bottom of the pond.

“Under these circumstances, with elevated macro nutrients during warmer months an increase in algal and vascular plant growth e.g. duckweed, is commonplace,” it says.

It said there are risks to drinking water from rivers as they can host harmful bacteria and “the best way to eliminate the risk to dogs is not to allow them to drink water from this source.”

Speaking to the Northside People, Graves says that Fingal County Council’s response is “concerning” but “not surprising.

Graves says that the response from the council was “quite technical” but “clearly the causes are from urban run-off, combined with sewer overflows and local stormwater drainage with enters the river through approximately 60 pipes along its length.

“What is needed is a long-term solution to address the matters relating to poor water quality and regular testing of the water and sooner rather than later,” Graves says.

“There are solutions based on renaturalisation, where possible, of the river channel and the introduction of nature-based water retention measures or stormwater green infrastructure appropriate locations.

Fingal County Council says that it is working with Dublin City Council to come up with a “river restoration project.

“This is a long term, catchment-scale solution to address matters relating to poor water quality, flooding, biodiversity and ecology, as well as social and amenity use.”

Graves says that Fingal’s decision “to move away from traditional management of surface water through pipes to the river has been identified as a measure to improve the river water quality is welcome.

“But this needs to be put in place as a matter of urgency,” she says.

According to the local authority, and under the current River Basin Management Plan, “this stretch of the Santry River is classified as a priority area of action.”

The council is also undertaking pilot research project, called The Fingal Water Project at various pond locations in Fingal, including Santry.

“This project is investigating the effectiveness of various plants for the uptake of pollutants and nutrients to improve water quality in a pond environment,” the council says.