County: Waterford Site name: DUNHILL
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 11E0453
Author: Margaret McCarthy
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 649907m, N 601646m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.164390, -7.270500
An application by Waterford County Council for planning permission under Part 8 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001–2010 to upgrade the existing integrated constructed wetland (ICW) outside Dunhill village led to a request for an archaeological impact assessment to be carried out. The wetland unit is located in a low-lying marshy area adjacent to Annestown Stream close to the village of Dunhill, south-west of Waterford city. The upgrade was necessary owing to increased loadings to the existing wetland from additional housing and was based upon the overall successful implementation of ICW systems to treat a range of polluted water sources since 1996. The subject lands formed part of a previous planning application in 2008 (Planning Ref. 08/921) for the construction of the integrated constructed wetland unit together with a proposed housing development on elevated land to the east of Annestown Stream. Both areas were tested as a condition of planning by Órla Scully (Excavations 2009, no. 805, 08E969). In all, eighteen test trenches were excavated and six of these were placed in the area of the wetland unit. No features or finds of archaeological significance were uncovered.
An impact assessment for the proposed upgrading of the existing integrated wetland facility was prepared by the writer in October 2011 in response to a request from the Development Applications Unit. Licensed monitoring was subsequently recommended and this was carried out in November 2011. Monitoring was undertaken at the following locations: a water channel at the northern end of the site, where the excavation reached a maximum depth of c. 1m; a reference pond at the south-west corner of the site, where machine excavation reached a depth of almost 2m; three sludge pits at the southern end of the site; an access road on the footprint of an existing track at the western side of the development; and the removal of materials from Annestown Stream for drainage purposes.
All groundworks were carried out with a mechanical excavator using a wide toothless bucket. The overburden consisted of a dark brown peaty sediment overlying the natural subsoil, which varied from blue-grey stone-free clay in wet marshy areas to orange-brown glacial till in areas of elevated ground. No features or finds of archaeological significance were uncovered.
Rostellan, Midleton, Co. Cork
