Hydro G Final report - Kildare.ie
Hydro G Final report - Kildare.ie
Hydro G Final report - Kildare.ie
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<strong>Hydro</strong>-G FINAL REPORT<br />
1. Introduction<br />
In December 2007, <strong>Hydro</strong>-G was engaged by <strong>Kildare</strong> County Council to investigate and evaluate<br />
water resources within Leixlip Spa, Co. <strong>Kildare</strong> in light of increasing concerns about the site’s<br />
ecological health and integrity.<br />
The site is located on the outskirts of Leixlip, approximately 2km west of the town, between the Intel<br />
Ireland factory and the Royal Canal. The national grid reference for the site is 299500, 236500. The<br />
location map is presented in Figure 1. The site constitutes part of the Rye Water Valley Special Area<br />
of Conservation (site code: 001398) containing protected habitats including calcareous grassland and<br />
petrifying tufa springs, as well as rare and protected spec<strong>ie</strong>s of fauna including molluscs spec<strong>ie</strong>s<br />
Vertigo moulinsiana and Vertigo angustior.<br />
Topographically, the Leixlip Spa site l<strong>ie</strong>s on number of terraces carved in limestone bedrock, which<br />
were created during construction of the Royal Canal in the 18 th century. This bedrock exposure<br />
resulted in a number of wetland habitats that developed on subsequent terraces in response to a<br />
continuous discharge of water from the bedrock. The entire area of the site is 6000m 2 ,<br />
approximately, 40m wide and 150m long with a topographic drop of 20m in a south-north direction<br />
towards the river Rye Water.<br />
In addition to its high ecological values the Leixlip Spa is known also for its archaeological features<br />
including a hexagonal well and a Roman Bath which were created in the 18 th Century following a<br />
discovery of a hot spring. The hot spring that suppl<strong>ie</strong>s water to this Bath was discovered during the<br />
construction of the Royal Canal and water from the spring is highly mineralised, specifically rich in<br />
iron, for which it gained its spa status. The original hot spring is located underneath the Royal Canal<br />
and was diverted to a man-build Spa Well of a hexagonal shape that is located at the eastern side of<br />
the entrance to the site.<br />
The ecological and archaeological features of the Leixlip Spa have been extensively investigated<br />
throughout decades and some documentation dates back as far as the 18 th century. Nevertheless, it<br />
is the site’s unique fauna and flora that have been given most attention following the implementation<br />
of the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). The site’s ecological features are <strong>report</strong>ed to have<br />
deteriorated over recent years and as the majority of the area comprises wetland habitats, there is a<br />
possibility that changes in the site’s hydrological controls merits investigation (Moorkens, Dooge,<br />
pers. comm.).<br />
1.1. Project Objectives<br />
<strong>Kildare</strong> County Council engaged <strong>Hydro</strong>-G to investigate the hydrological regime of the Leixlip Spa site<br />
and to develop a water management strategy to prevent further deterioration and to facilitate<br />
sustainable conditions.<br />
The specific objectives of the project were specif<strong>ie</strong>d by <strong>Kildare</strong> County Council, as follows:<br />
“The objective of this hydrological study is to determine the movement of water through out the site<br />
to determine how this water can be used most effic<strong>ie</strong>ntly to maintain the conservation status of the<br />
site particularily in relation to the Shining Sickle Moss (Drepanocladus vernicosus) and the semi<br />
aquatic snail spec<strong>ie</strong>s Vertigo angustior and Vertigo moulinsiana”.<br />
Project No.: 07_136 -1-<br />
Leixlip Spa