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Kildare Bypass & Pollardstown Fen(Pollardstown Fen Briefing)Dear Member, You may have read in the Spring 2000 issue of Inland Waterways News (p.7), and in the media generally, of plans to build a new bypass for the town of Kildare and the fears that it's construction could have disastrous consequences for Pollardstown Fen. The Association is deeply concerned about this project and has embarked on a campaign to have the designs altered. While not opposed to the building of the Kildare Bypass per se, we believe it should be built on the surface as against in the deep cutting as currently proposed. We also believe that it would be cheaper and faster to build the road on the surface, surely a win-win situation all round. The current design involves excavating a deep trench, several kilometres long, through the Curragh south of Kildare town and building the road in the cutting. The risk is that this cutting will disturb the flow of water through the Mid-Kildare Aquifer which is a complex structure of sands and gravels underlying that part of Co. Kildare. This in turn would disturb the flow of water to the Pollardstown Fen which provides the water to the summit level of the Grand Canal. The origins of the Fen can be traced back 10-12,000 years to the end of the last ice-age and it is considered extremely important in ecological terms - a fact recognised by it's designation as a Special Area of Conservation. Most Irish fens evolved into peat bogs but because of the supply of water from the aquifer, Pollardstown Fen remained as a marvellous example of ancient landscape. The fen is home to a wonderful range of plant life including a variety of orchids, rushes and sedges. Animal life includes otters, hares, and pygmy shrews and the fen is an important habitat for frogs and newts and a creature called the brook lamprey. The fen is also important as a breeding and wintering ground for a variety of bird species. The Association is not satisfied with the assurances that the development will not affect the Fen. The authorities are putting systems in place to monitor the effect of the construction but we believe that by the time any adverse effects are noted it will be impossible to undo the damage. We believe that the known safe option of building the road on the surface, above the water table, should be used as against a method which could have catastrophic consequences for a unique part of our natural heritage. We have begun a publicity campaign to raise public awareness about the imminent danger to the Fen. This began with an open letter to Sile de Valera (See below) on Feb 2nd and we are working to get media coverage for the campaign. The Kildare Branch of IWAI are organising an outing to the Fen by road and by boat on Sunday February 25th. Details are still being finalised. Please contact myself (colin_becker@iwai.ie) or Mick Clinton (mclinton_irel@hotmail.com) if you plan to attend. We will also publish details on the website. The purpose of this expedition is to highlight the importance of the Fen and it's uniqueness and we will be inviting the Minister and the media to attend. We hope as many people as possible will join the expedition as it is important to show our concerns to both the Minister and the media. We ask you to lobby your public representatives about this issue. The message is simple: There is no need to build the road in a cutting. Build it on the surface and avoid any risk to the Fen. This is an important campaign for the association. We fought in the 1970s to save the Fen from being drained for agricultural land. It would be a shame to loose it now because we failed to take action. Please contact me if you need more information or if you have any ideas as to how we might proceed.
Yours Sincerely,
Re: Kildare Bypass Dear Minister, We note with extreme dismay that work is to commence on the new Kildare bypass. We accept that a new road is required to alleviate traffic congestion however in the words of your own department "...the proposed scheme is considered to have the potential to have a significant adverse affect on Pollardstown Fen". We submit that you have failed to act, as required by law, to remove this threat to part of our natural heritage. Pollardstown Fen dates from the end of the last Ice Age and depends for its existence on the underground flow of water from the aquifer, a massive sand and gravel deposit that underlies much of central Kildare. It is the volume, constant flow rate and quality of this water that gives the Fen its unique character. The site has been designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and is an internationally recognised wetlands and wildlife site that ranks in importance with the Burren and the Giant's Causeway. The proposed design for the bypass involves excavating a deep cutting below the water table in the aquifer. The law permits interference with an SAC only for reasons of human health or public safety. Our association can see no grounds of human health or public safety for excavating below the water table. Building the road on the surface would avoid any risk to the Fen and would probably be cheaper and quicker to construct. No compelling reason for excavating below the water table has been offered. We are surprised that we have not been allowed to hear from your own department's experts, even though they share with you responsibility for the protection of all SAC sites. We are further surprised that nothing has been heard from these same experts in response to an EU request for written reports in 1998. We remind you also that the EU requested the Irish Government to cease all works on this project. This request to cease all works is still valid today. It seems to us that you have a statutory obligation to implement the law by prosecuting the bodies or persons whose actions have the potential to have significant adverse affects on the aquifer and the Fen. We call on you, should the development proceed as currently proposed, to immediately take the actions required of you under sections 17 & 18 of SI 94 of 97 i.e. "The Minister shall make an application to a court of competent jurisdiction to prohibit the continuance of the operation or activity"
Yours Sincerely
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