Where We’re Working

One of the aims of the Protecting Shared Waters project is to improve the quality of river water that is received by the Glenhordial Water Treatment Works (WTW), just northeast of Omagh town. Glenhordial WTW abstracts water from the Glenhordial Burn, the Glencurry Burn, and the Camowen River, all of which are tributaries of the River Strule.

The Camowen catchment covers an area of approximately 245 km2 between Omagh and Pomeroy, extending down to Ballymackilroy. The Camowen River rises south of Pomeroy and flows westward, where it is bridged by the B46 in Tiroony and meets a tributary south of Carrickmore. It meets another tributary near Bracky, then flows southwestwards under the B158. In Omagh, the Camowen River meets the River Drumragh and together they are referred to as the River Strule. The Strule runs north to meet the Fairy Water and the Owenkillew, and is a major tributary of the River Foyle, eventually draining into Lough Foyle and the Atlantic Ocean.

Peatlands within the Strule Catchment are found at the top of the Sperrins all the way down to the meandering bends of the Camowen River.

Many peatlands are protected by law for their value to rare species such as the Irish Hare and Curlew. Peatlands are some of our most distinctive habitats and they occur as raised bogs and blanket bogs in the Strule Catchment.

Peatlands have a rich cultural history and many generations relied on them for livelihoods. Beneath the dark soils of many of our peatlands is the records of ancient people who inhabited the land before us. The value of our precious peatland also extends to water where they store, slow and clean water entering rivers and lakes. Unfortunately, peatlands within the Strule face many struggles and their conservation and restoration are key to the longevity of local communities and their ways of life.

The River Fane catchment, covering an area of approximately 356km2, is a strategically important cross-border catchment spanning parts of Counties Armagh, Monaghan and Louth. The system supports aquatic ecosystems and contributes to regional water resources by providing an important source of raw water for public drinking water supplies. Water abstracted from within the catchment by Uisce Éireann is treated and used to supply the village of Inniskeen and Dundalk Town and surrounding areas, whereas water abstracted and treated by NI Water is used to supply parts of Counties Armagh and Down.

Rising south of Clontibret, Co. Monaghan, the watercourse flows into Lough Muckno on the outskirts of Castleblayney Town. A number of other substantial watercourses including the Gentle Owens Lake Stream and the County Water, both rising north of the border, also discharge into Lough Muckno. Known colloquially as the Clarebane River, the outflow of Lough Muckno travels a relatively short distance downstream before discharging into Lough Ross, a lake which straddles the border of Monaghan and Armagh. From there, the River Fane flows in a southeastern direction for approximately 28km before discharging to sea. On its journey the river passes through the villages of Inniskeen and Knockbridge, receiving inflows from a series of additional water watercourses. Approximately 3km from the coast the river is culverted under the M1 motorway where it then makes its way to its outflow at Dundalk Bay, an area designated as both a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Area (SPA).

An Education Community Outreach (ECO) Programme will provide an important framework for addressing the water quality, water quantity and biodiversity challenges facing the catchment through cross-border collaboration, evidence-based interventions, and sustainable land and water management practices. It is envisaged that this new community-led programme will encourage people to take practical actions using Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and water conservation measures to help improve water quality conditions and water quantity resilience.