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POLLUTION HO R TL TE
WATER MANAGEMENT
INE
INTRODUCTION
A river basin (or catchment) is the area drained by a river and its tributaries, i.e., the area from which a river catches or collects its water. A catchment area can be very small, just a few hectares, or it may cover an enormous area, for example, the Shannon or Lough Neagh Catchments. Apart from some loss by evaporation, all the water that falls as rain within a catchment area will either run off on the surface eventually reaching the river which drains the basin or sink into the ground to become groundwater. How long it takes the water to reach the river or its tributaries depends on the vegetation cover and rock type. If there are settlements in the area, the effects of man-made drains and road surfaces will also be relevant. As with all environmentally linked systems, any activities that take place in one area of the river basin can have consequences elsewhere, and how water is used in one area can affect the interests of others. Theres always someone else downstream! Therefore the effective management of water and the water environment requires an integrated and coordinated planning system based within river basins.
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D RGE EEK A H W LS C
RIVER BASIN
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Our aim is to protect, conserve and promote the natural and built environment for the benefit of present and future generations. Northern Ireland Environment Agency Water Management Unit 17 Antrim Road Lisburn BT28 3AL (028) 9262 3168 www.ni-environment.gov.uk
as the responsible authority for co-ordinating the river basin planning process. Three other government departments, Department of Culture Arts and Leisure, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Department for Regional Development, and their agencies, also share a statutory obligation with regard for river basin planning. There are three International River Basin Districts (IRBD) and one River Basin District (RBD) within Northern Ireland (see Map 1).
The plans and programmes of measures are not intended as once-only exercises but as changeable processes based on a six-yearly cycle of updating. River basin planning as a continuous process will contribute to the development and delivery of the following: Assessment of the pressures and impact on the water environment; Analysis of the economic importance of water use; Design of monitoring programmes to assess impacts and monitor changes; Setting of environmental objectives, and Identification and delivery of measures to improve the environment
MAP 1
Public Participation
Undertake improvements
River Basin Management: the river basin planning process is followed by the implementation of the management measures. The planning process together with the implementation of the management measures is often referred to as river basin management.
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