By 
A PEATLAND restoration project aimed at improving water quality, capturing carbon and enhancing biodiversity has been established at Lough Bradan, outside Drumquin.
The project, funded by NI Water and carried out in conjunction with DAERA Forest Service, was completed earlier year well ahead of the nesting season.
It initially involved the clearing of a 27-hectare site on the shores of Lough Bradan and restoring it using a technique called cell bunding.
NI Water also used a method of deliberate drain blocking to re-wet the area. This retains water in the underlying peat and raises the water table.
The purpose of the environmental enhancement project is three-fold.
It is hoped it will help filter water running into Lough Bradan, which services much of the Omagh and Drumquin area, safeguard the capture of carbon and enhance the area as a habitat for protected species such as hen harriers, merlins and breeding waders.
NI Water’s Catchment Liaison Officer Rebecca Allen explained, “Cell bunding is the construction of watertight cells made from low peat walls. They retain water into the area, encouraging the regrowth of important water-retaining mosses such as sphagnum species, and raise the water table.
“This slows the flow into the lough from surrounding areas, encouraging the return of a functioning bog which will filter the water flowing to the lough for years to come and retain carbon in the form of peat.
“In total, an impressive 211 cells were constructed in the flat areas with the result that since the work was completed at the end of February, the water table has already visually raised. In some areas where the ground was sloped and unsuitable for cell bunding, the drains have been blocked intermittently to raise the water table there, allowing mosses to re-establish and also providing better filtration and settlement for the water.”
In addition to the ecosystem services they provide, healthy bogs can provide a nature-based solution to climate change.
At both a global and local scale, peatlands can store and sequester (absorb) carbon, with positive implications for the regulation of climate.
“The raw water quality in Lough Bradan has been suboptimal for some time, in that the water in the lough is highly coloured from peat run-off. There are increased costs during the water treatment process to remove the colour from the water,” continued Allen.
“However, working with the DAERA Forest Service, NI Water has started to reverse the damage using an innovative method. Instead of draining water away to prevent flooding, in this project, drains are deliberately blocked to raise the water levels. As a result of blocking drainage ditches, erosion is reduced and the bog is being recreated the way nature had intended.
“The close working cooperation between NI Water and DAERA Forest Service in the project has redressed the situation and ensured the carbon is stored instead of being released as run-off into the lough. Biodiversity is also enhanced as habitats are created, and raw water quality is improved.
“In addition, pools are being dug throughout the area that provide a space for sphagnum mosses to grow. These mosses naturally filter and retain the water and this natural filtration process reduces the amount of chemicals NI Water needs to clean the water.
“Lough Bradan Water Treatment Works is fed by five upland intakes as well as the reservoir.
“This innovative approach of restoring peatland will prove to be more sustainable and more cost effective than dealing with water quality issues at the treatment works.
“In addition to these benefits, we are really happy to announce the presence of a pair of breeding Hen Harriers at Lough Bradan spotted in early May. This lovely sighting proves that our work at Bradan didn’t disrupt the environment so as to disrupt the breeding birds.”
Rewetting projects of this nature may be of interest to farmers and other land owners as a means of off-setting the impact of their businesses on the environment.
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