CatchmentCARE
Date published:
CatchmentCARE (Catchment Actions for Resilient Eco-systems) was an EU-funded INTERREG VA project that aimed to improve freshwater quality in cross-border river basins across three cross-border catchments. The aims were achieved through development of three water quality improvement projects in the Finn, Blackwater and Arney catchments and installation 50 boreholes across the region.
Project partners brought a broad range of knowledge and experience, and re-enforced the value of collaboration and working together for the good of not only the environment but also for our communities. Local authorities, Donegal County Council (Lead Partner), Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council, worked with academia in Ulster University, as well as the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), British Geological Survey, Loughs Agency, Geological Survey Ireland and Inland Fisheries Ireland.
Working in partnership, the consortium developed three policy actions, six catchment actions and three community actions, based on three critical criteria:
- measurable impact on water quality;
- transferable beyond the three catchments; and
- contribute to a project legacy.
The actions addressed water quality issues relating to hydromorphology, point and diffuse sources of pollution, farm nutrient management practices, characterisation and monitoring of groundwater quality, lag times in response to the implementation of measures and an economic analysis of the cost of achieving the objectives of the Water Framework Directive in the Finn, Blackwater and Arney catchments. Furthermore, CatchmentCARE contributed to achieving good status through the implementation of catchment restoration actions, capacity building of the local community, and crucially provided a platform for cross-border knowledge exchange between community, governance, policy and scientific stakeholders.
The 61 month project was awarded €13,792,436.45 (ERDF + Government Match Funding) under the INTERREG VA Programme in October 2017. The project was officially launched on 14 June 2018, in Co Donegal.
AFBI Outputs:
Adams, R. and P. Quinn (2023). "Simulating Phosphorus Load Reductions in a Nested Catchment Using a Flow Pathway-Based Modeling Approach." Hydrology 10(9): 184, https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology10090184
Adams, R., S. Higgins, E. Sherry, C. Johnston, D. Doody (2023) Final Report of the CatchmentCARE Project – AFBI, 12pp.
Adams, R., D. Doody (2022) Overview of Source Load Apportionment Model (SLAM) modelling summary, 20pp.