Legacy of arterial drainage impacts rivers in Mayo

SIXTY-SEVEN per cent of Mayo's rivers meet required standards - well up on the national average of 54%.

Where there is decline, nationally the top reason is due to agricultural pressure.

However, in Mayo the main reason is hydromorphology - where humans have impacted the flow and shape of our rivers.

This is a legacy of arterial drainage, such as in the Moy catchment, where rivers were over-deepened and widened, which impacts on rivers doing the things they do naturally, such as their flood plains and the ecology in the rivers.

This somewhat unexpected finding was given to members of Mayo County Council's environment strategic policy committee during an update on the Water Action Plan 2024 by Bernie White of LAWPRO.

There is a dedicated team looking at pressures in various water catchments and priority areas include Lough Mask, Lough Carra, around the Castlebar area and Newport.

Work is just commencing on a local authority action plan for the west region.

Community work is also part of LAWPRO's remit, with projects with Lough Carra Catchment Association and also on the Bunowen and Carrowniskey rivers in west Mayo.