Hydro G Final report - Kildare.ie

Hydro-G FINAL REPORT
Mr. Simon Wallace
Senior Executive Parks Superintendent
Kildare County Council
Dear Simon
Re: Preliminary report on the hydrological investigation of Leixlip Spa, Co. Kildare
Our Ref: 07136_Leixlip Spa_D07
17 th Dec 2007
This report has been prepared by Hydro-G to inform Kildare County Council on a progress of the initial assessment of
hydrological requirements of the Leixlip Spa SAC (code 001398). The report outlines site visits and field work
investigations carried out to date. An interpretation of results will be provided at a later date when the results of the
sampling regime are processed and hydrochemical results returned from the laboratory.
In November 2007 Hydro-G was approached by Kildare County Council to undertake an investigation on the
hydrological regime of Leixlip Spa, Co. Kildare. The site is located in Leixlip village, along the western side of the Royal
Canal and between a regional road R 148 and the Rye River. The western boundary of the site is adjacent to the Intel
factory. The ecological features of the site comprise a wide range of protected species and habitats including
petryfying tufa springs (SAC Site Synopsis 001398) and alkaline fen habitat. These habitats rely on a stable discharge
of groundwater saturated with calcite carbonate. Although it is well understood that the rare habitats and species
found at the Leixlip Spa are dependent on the hydrological regime of the site, the latter is not well understood and very
limited data on the site hydrology exist at present. Neither quantitative nor qualitative data are available.
The site is located on a steep limestone ridge which is a remnant of a quarry created in the late 18 th century. The most
prominent hydrological feature of the site is a warm spring located at the entrance to the site, east of the public
pathway leading into the site. The spring was discovered in late 18 th century and merits attention due to the relatively
high temperature and iron content in the water that it discharges.
To date, Hydro-G conducted two site visits the first on the 2 nd and latter on the 10 th of December 2007. The purpose of
these visits was to meet with ecologists involved in works on the site, namely Mr Declan Doogue, Mr Brendan
O’Hanrahan and Ms Evelyn Moorkens. These site meetings facilitated greater understanding of the site’s ecology and
its hydrological needs for sustaining a healthy habitat. It was established during these visits that ecological features
have changed throughout the past 20-30 years of ecological monitoring. Specifically, the following two issues had
been raised:
• Drying of the upper zone, west of the gravel pathway. Historically this area provided a suitable habitat for wet
loving grasses and marsh orchids. However Mr Declan Doogue reported this area had not been wet in
winters within the past 20 years which led to loss of this habitat.
Project No.: 07_136 -25-
Leixlip Spa