Taking no chances of running out of water

WATER shortage shouldn’t be a big problem in the Mizen Mountains of West Cork, even in a summer like this one, but Dr Steve Collins isn’t leaving anything to chance.

So he has dug a 60m by 40m reservoir that holds around six million litres.

“With climate change, the weather can’t be guaranteed, and when you have 10,000 plants that your livelihood depends on, you have got to have a reliable supply of water,” he says.

Often in farming, the solution to a problem can lead to other issues, but in this case, the opposite occurred: digging the pit solved two problems. Steve initially needed the clay to build roadways so he could transport straw up his mountain — he is using his cattle to turn marginal land into pasture.

“If you can get the cattle up the mountain — which you do by moving their fodder and straw around — they effectively plough the land for you,” he explains.

“A rough bit of mountain bog has a lot of organic matter but no nutrients. But if you feed the cattle on it, they put down half a tonne of dung a day, and that is good fertiliser.

“You can then roll and harrow the ground, and seed it with clover and mixed pasture.

“So you can turn the marginal land into pasture using a lot less carbon than if you did it with machinery.”

By diverting streams and damming one end, he has created the reservoir, which he says has the additional benefit of acting as a “buffer” to “regulate the water flow” in case of flood.

Steve also plans to stock the lake with trout for Airbnb guests to fish.