TOBIN is at the forefront of groundwater resource management and protection in Ireland.
TOBIN is at the forefront of groundwater resource management and protection in Ireland. To date, our expert hydrogeologists have worked in collaboration with teams of geologists and hydrogeologists at Trinity College Dublin, the Geological Survey of Ireland and the EPA to establish Zones of Contribution and Source Protection Zones for the national groundwater monitoring network.
The monitoring network comprises over 200 springs and boreholes distributed across the country and are located in a variety of hydrogeological settings. A consistent, detailed approach to defining Source Protection Zones is at the core of the implementation of the Good Agriculture Practices Regulations and the Water Framework Directive.
As part of this project, TOBIN’s hydrogeologists have completed desk studies and hydrogeological field mapping; pump testing; vulnerability mapping; dye tracing; karst feature mapping; stream and spring flow measurements; data interpretation, appropriate modelling techniques; delineating zones of contributions to springs and boreholes; preparation of maps and reports; preparation of landspreading exclusion zone reports; risk assessments; and peer review.
Sustainability is a core value of TOBIN and mapping part of Ireland’s natural groundwater resources assists in protecting and sustaining those resources, and the habitats which they support, for us and our future generations. This project forms a fundamental element in catchment management, particularly a key step in developing Drinking Water Safety Plans.
