Tracing Belfast's Water: new materialist interventions in infrastructure and design

TRACING BELFAST’S WATER new materialist interventions in infrastructure and design

Edited by Nuala Flood & Tristan Sturm

First published 2021

by Queen’s Architectural Press Architecture, School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen’s University Belfast, Stranmillis Rd, Belfast BT9 5AG © 2021 Selection and editorial matter, Nuala Flood and Tristan Sturm; individual chapters, the contributors Under Creative Commons (CC) this work and in part can be reproduced with the right of Nuala Flood and Tristan Sturm to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication-Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Subjects: Architecture / Design / Geography ISBN: 978-1-909731-06-6 Nielsen BookData

Contents

Acknowledgements Introduction, by Nuala Flood and Tristan Sturm

1

volume I* Communicating the Historical Water Infrastructure in Belfast Milena Heuer, Darren Lynas, Lorna McCartan, James McMonagle, Peter Lawson, Ket Yang Leung, Chit Hei Leung, Tsz Fung Ma, Sarah McConville & Nuala Flood

4

Water Scarcity Rebecca Coburn, Carolina Dimitrova, Aaron Duffy, James Harris, Nathan McCreery, Eve McFarlane, Ellen McKeag, Nia McNally, Suman Miah, M-NEX, Sean Cullen, Greg Keefe & Nuala Flood

16

volume II* Tracing Water Elaine Combes, Yi Chun Lai, Adam Doherty, Adam Moore, Natalie Anderson, Arjun Bharj, Maria Boyle, Aisha Buzeid, Grace Carney, Tristan Sturm & Nuala Flood

4

The Water Network 26 Roger Bonnar, Bradley Lynch, Raine Samir, Thomas Tsiantar, Connor Curley, Hannah Doran, Kayla Enos, Katie Faulkner, Siobhan McDermott & Chantelle Niblock volume III* Leaded Spaces in Belfast 4 Lauren Barwise, Shane Carville, Holly Chapman, Lea Vanekerckhove, Chloe Cassidy, Zoey Je Yi Chan, Zhen Hong Cheah, Arianna Clements, Siun Crumley, Tristan Sturm & Nuala Flood Flooding Futures 18 Declan Davies, Naomi Smyth, Kieran Tester, Jonathan Yau, Hollie Hamilton, Josh Harper, Annie Hart, Rebecca Jane McConnell & Jasna Mariotti volume IV* Mapping oral History Along the Lagan Leonard Chipwa, Glenn McNamara, Dermot O’Neill, Meabh Minnis, Rachel Murphy, Luke O’Brien, Alexis Payot, Caitlin Reid, Sean O’Connell, & Nuala Flood.

4

Reflections 18 Apurva Lengade, Tiarnan Mc Ilhatton, Aaron Shaw, Fahad Al Omrani, Anna Shaw, Kyan Swar, Karin Wiman, Anson Wong, Deirdre Yoong, Stephen Mulhall & Niek Turner end

*Layout and design of volumes edited by Jason Crawford, Jessica Forsythe, Caitlin Lavery, Aisling Madden, Eve Turkington, Yanwen Zhu & Nuala Flood

112

Acknowledgements We would like to thank the hard working architecture students at Queen’s University Belfast for researching and participating in the coproduction of this small book. We would also like to thank the Architecture programme at Queen’s University Belfast as well as the Culture & Society research group in the School of Natural and Built Environment for funding to test water for metals and fund Public CoLab 2019. We are grateful to Prof. Greg Keeffe for his continued support. The key private collaboration with Clifton House, NI Water, and the Department of Infrastructure were central to the success of this project.

Introduction

by Nuala Flood & Tristan Sturm

Have you ever thought about where your water comes from, what is in it, how it affects you, how your life is influenced by it, and how you are inextricably embedded with it? In this book we explore how the relationship between water and the city/citizens of Belfast can be communicated through the medium of architectural visual practices. The collaborative project in 2019, Public CoLab, brought together 60 students and staff from architecture, geography and history to shed light on these questions through design.

Turning on a tap or flushing a toilet is so common place we ignore the vast history and hidden network of pipes and plants that deliver it and dispose of it. To reveal this under discussed and theorized infrastructure network we ask: How does water circulate around the city of Belfast? What is in it? Is it safe to drink? Where does drinking water come from? Where is it treated? Where is waste water brought to? Where does it go after it has been treated? How can architectural representation methods be used to communicate this information? In this book, Tracing Belfast’s Water, we seek to make visible the buried histories, geographies, architectures of water in Belfast by tracing the water network, unearthing its contents, mapping its history, allowing it to reflect back our cultures and built environments.

Water, and the infrastructure that delivers and disposes of it, is a taken-for-granted resource: it is infra (meaning invisible)- structure. Living in Belfast on the Island of Ireland, we generally assume water is a renewable and abundant resource. After all, Ireland is known as a wet and rainy place, with the largest lake by area, Lough Neagh, in the British Isles and roughly 900mm of rain each year. And yet, with crumbling infrastructure whereby some estimates suggest over one-third of fresh water is lost through leaky pipes before it arrives in the Belfast water system and increasing periods of drought because of climate change, the presumed certainty of our water supply is being called into question. For example, the Summer of 2018 saw Belfast’s first modern hose pipe ban, imposed because of dwindling fresh water stores.

We also assume that a major city in the 21st Century would have safe drinking water, that the state monitors and ensures our water is facilitating heathy and productive lives. While the water provider, NI Water, does monitor our water closely, we found that lead levels in some homes across the city of Belfast exceeded the reference limit of 10 μg/L, indeed 9 times higher in one case. Well over one-third of homes in are likely to have lead pipes in Belfast. Such high levels put Belfast in the lead level range of the water from Flint, Michigan, whose water supply exposed hundreds of children to the irreversible health effects of lead in 2014. Belfast’s degraded infrastructure and a lack of incentive to renovate our pipes is likely a vestige of the Troubles, but also the result of a hiddenness—the infra-structure—of water: if we can’t see it, we can’t demand change. This book attempts to reveal, make visible, Belfast’s water.

The first section, Communicating the Historical Water Infrastructure in Belfast, looks at the history of water infrastructure in Belfast. In the 19th century, the century of rapid urbanization and with it water-borne diseases, safe drinking water became a central concern and human right (Hempel 2019). As integral to the functioning of the city, clean water in the Western world is a resource taken for granted. The focus has usually been on the water itself, however, rather than the material infrastructure that carries it. Using the archives of Clifton House—the first organized group to lay water pipes in Belfast—the authors ask how can architectural representational tools be harnessed to describe the state of the water infrastructure in Belfast between 1790 and 1840?

Clifton House is a Georgian building in North Belfast that houses a heritage centre, a residential home and sheltered accommodation apartments. It was built by Belfast Charitable Society in 1774. The heritage centre houses an archive of historical documents related to establishment of the water infrastructure in Belfast and the setting up of the Spring Water Commissioners. Using graphical representations – maps, drawings, diagrams and photographs – of the water infrastructure in Belfast between 1790 and 1840, the authors overlaid and ground-truthed the official map of the water pipes Clifton House laid in the making of the modern city of Belfast.

In Water Scarcity, the authors examine current water consumption for the average household in Belfast through stunning infographics. Scaling the consumption of the average household to the neighbourhood, city, and state scale, the authors graph how three potential future scenarios (based on combination of climate, population and culture change) will affect water consumption.

Associated with each of these future scenarios, the authors then calculated the water needed for an Ulster Fry (the local breakfast of Northern Ireland) and visualise the water footprint produced in order to meet this demand based on present methods and technologies.

In Tracing Water, we problematize how the supply of clean water in Belfast is a service which is often taken-for-granted. People rarely question how the water we drink comes to our taps and where is goes to once our bodies (70% of which are water) have processed it. Water is a precious resources and water scarcity is a real concern in Belfast. In this chapter, the authors communicate how water operates using architectural representation techniques, specifically using spatial descriptions – maps and drawings at multiple scales – showing the shape of water in the city, the locations of waste water treatment plants and the circulation routes of water in the city and through the body, and where treated waste water is released back out into our waterways.

The next two sections, The Water Network and Leaded Spaces in Belfast, explore the paradox of modern water systems: that which nourishes, can also poison. Contaminated water circulates through the city unbeknownst to those consuming it. As a neurotoxin, the network of lead embeds itself within the built fabric of the city and the blood, bones and brains of our bodies. This has permanent health effects linked to host of health problems including a reduction in IQ and heart disease, with children being most vulnerable. Lead exposure can also manifest is socio-behavioural problems, especially violence. Lead pipes were legislated out of use in 1969 in the UK and NI, but 34% of houses in the UK still have some lead in their drinking water network. While much attention and debate has been focused in the USA on the issue of lead pipes, the UK and Ireland have not been subject to the same scrutiny and attention. With regards to this issue, Belfast is of critical concern for five reasons: (1) all evidence suggests Belfast has lead levels exceeding other UK cities, in part because of specific issues relating to the Troubles which disrupted housing renewal; (2) approximately 70% of the housing stock in the city of Belfast precedes the 1969 ban; (3) there is no case specific research on Belfast and lead, all policy guidance is derived from England; (4) the Republic has a private home lead pipe replacement scheme, Northern Ireland does not; and (5) there is a unique lack of educational intervention by the public-private water supplier, NI Water.

The section, The Water Network (GIS), asks how can QGIS (a Geographical Information System) be used to map, visualise and analyse quantitative data to explore the architectural spatial narrative of water and the city? The authors use pipe network map overlays to make visible, extract, and bring awareness to the extent of our invisible infrastructure is leaded. A spatial narrative of water and the city is created through this city scale visualization. Given that a key agenda for the chapter is awareness of lead via visualization, the authors have created a QR code to help the public map their own lead house lead pipes in Belfast.

Inspired by the work on geographies of material politics (Barry 2013; Braun & Whatmore 2010), Leaded Spaces in Belfast examines the spatial relationship lead has within Belfast. The authors ask how can architectural representation methods be used to communicate how lead is networked within the built environment of Belfast and within its inhabitant’s brains, bones and blood? The authors trace how, where and to what extent the lead network is embodied and embedded within the built environment in Belfast. They investigate scales of themes ranging from the neighbourhood mapping of lead levels, to the surveying of an existing building with high lead levels, to a forensic analysis of the problematic junctions within the existing water supply system to the creation of propositions for a lead-free city.

Flooding of inhabited areas is one of the major, but often neglected, challenges that await future generations. Flooding Futures, identifies a new future problem that needs to be addressed rapidly to help prevent unnecessary loss of lives and unforetold economic damage. But instead of fearing and fighting water, some argue we should develop our cities in a way that makes use of it, and take a non-defensive approach towards rising water levels. This project explores the future flooding of the city of Belfast, the problems correlated to the floods and provides radical non-defensive solutions. The project asks: What are the predicted problems the city of Belfast will face due to flooding? How can the frame of “apocalypse”—meaning unveiling the truth—be useful to think through a resilient flooded future? Ultimately, how can architectural thinking and representation be used to explore future flooding scenarios in Belfast? The dominate output of the chapter is a triptych inspired by Hieronymus Bosch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights” (1510) and Thomas Cole’s “The Course of Empire” (1933-36). The triptych of speculative futures for Belfast takes place across three years: 2040, 2062 & 2084.

Mapping Oral History Along the Lagan explores the interaction between the port and the city of Belfast. This interaction was of a crucial importance for the development of the city turning the city into one of the most prosperous in the British Isles. The port was a foundation for Belfast’s prosperity and was a home to the world’s largest and most productive shipyard. These developments took a turn in the deindustrialization of the 1970s when the port slipped into an underutilized and undervalued space, radically transforming Belfast’s urban landscape. The authors of this chapter explore the socio-spatial practices of the port and the city through mapping of oral histories and developing a critical interest in the practices of representation. Walking from the Lagan Weir towards the mouth of River Lagan, four spaces were explored through interviews with peripatetic passers-by which included commuters, working class men, pensioners, tourists, and dog walkers.

The result maps a varied picture of the development and change of the dock areas from a personal perspective. The outcome was as series of sometimes conflicting quotes about the dock areas and a dynamic map illustrating the interactions between the people and the port, their past experiences and their material engagements. The project is one of becoming with the city and experiencing the

city from a different position, their shoes, opening up ways of seeing its places, constructs and people.

Water plays and has played a significant role in the landscape of Belfast as a city, via both the docks, the river Lagan and indeed the persistent rain that falls on the city due to its geographical location. Despite this, Reflections explores water’s undervalued role as a public and cultural amenity. As such, alongside complaining about the weather, we find that the water’s edge is not a celebrated location in the city and instead is solely associated with transit, be it by ferry, car, bicycle or foot. Through film, the authors attempt to revalue this important amenity in the city.

In mediated environment of film, water has repeatedly played a significant role due to its ability to represent time, its fluidity, and its ability to alter the visual content of the image, via transparency, refraction, and reflection. Consequently, throughout the history of film water often becomes an active character which can express both the emotional and spatial content of a scene.

Through three short films, two along the lagan and one in the Silent Valley, the authors explore a range of themes, which include, transparency, infrastructure, light, form, surface, scale, time, memory, flow, reflection, and refraction, whilst also potentially exploring different film-making methodologies such as, narrative, tracking, point-of-view and repetition.

We hope that this book will make a change, however small, in how to think about water and its infrastructure, how we understand our inextricable linkage to it, how it makes us and with it, the city of Belfast. The next time you open your tap for a glass of water or flush the toilet, or walk along the Lagan, we hope you contemplate how water contributes to the material and corporeal making of the city of Belfast, its citizens, and you.

Works cited Anand, N., Gupta, A., Appel, H. (2018) The Promise of Infrastructure. Durham: Duke University Press.

Barry, A. (2013) Material Politics: Disputes along the Pipeline. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

Braun, B and Whatmore, S. eds. (2010) Political Matter: Technoscience, Democracy and Public Life. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press Easterling, K. (2016) Extrastatecraft: The Power of Infrastructure Space. London: Verso.

Hempel, S. (2019) The Strange Case of the Broad Street Pump: John Snow and the Mystery of Cholera. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Larkin, B. (2013) The Politics and Poetics of Infrastructure. Annual Review of Anthropology 42:327343.

Orff, K. (2016) Toward an Urban Ecology. New York: The Monacelli Press.

1

Belfast Water Public CoLab 2019 Queen’s University Belfast INTRODUCTION: Have you ever thought about where your water comes from? Or what it may contain? These are the ideas we’re trying to generate the citizens of Belfast to think about, particularly the power of water to influence our lives. Throughout the course of Public CoLab our aim was to explore “how the relationship between water and the city/citizens of Belfast is best communicated through the medium of zines”. (A zine being a non-commercial self-published work, usually devoted to a specialised subject matter.) We have compiled the important societal and political issues concerning Belfast’s water, explored through nine sub-themes, into our zine.

Throughout the duration of Public CoLab each sub-group have discovered their own findings that may encourage the public to think differently about water, both its impact on the local community as well as further afield. We hope that through the publication of our zine, an impactful change can be made to improving Belfast’ water supply while continuing to shape our relationship with the city.

CONTENTS:

3

COMMUNICATING THE HISTORICAL WATER INFRASTRUCTURE IN BELFAST - p.4 WATER SCARCITY - p.16

COMMUNICATING THE HISTORICAL WATER INFRASTRUCTURE IN BELFAST 4

INTRODUCTION: Pipe Dreams – The Belfast Charitable Society’s plan to bring clean water to Belfast.

By the late 18th century Belfast was growing rapidly. Both the Blackstaff and Farset Rivers were too polluted to use as safe drinking water and residents relied on fresh water springs to provide clean water. The Belfast Charitable Society was founded in 1752 and from early on they were involved in supplying clean well water to the population my means of horse and cart. In 1795 the society decided to invest in a scheme to pipe water from Lester’s Dam, the first purpose built dam in Belfast, and dispatched John Holmes to London to investigate the best method for doing this.

The Society agreed to purchase lengths of elm wood pipe from London and began the scheme to lay them. Lester’s Dam was completed by 1809 and the Belfast Charitable Society and their agents the Spring Water Commissioners were solely responsible for the water supply in Belfast until 1840. By this stage the costs associated with the scheme along with the rapidly growing population had put a huge financial strain on the society and in 1840 the Belfast Water Commissioners, now NI Water, were established to take over the running of the network along with being charged with increasing the capacity through schemes in the Mourne Mountains and at Lough Neagh.

M.ARCH: MILENA HEUER DARREN LYNASS LORNA MCCARTAN JAMES MCMONAGLE UNDERGRADUATE: PETER LAWSON KET YANG LENG CHIT HEI LEUNG TSZ FUNG MA SARAH MCCONVILLE COLLABORATOR: CLIFTON HOUSE FACILITATOR: 5

DR. NUALA FLOOD

Belfast 1:40000 Pipes Route Walkable + Current Day Photos 0 John Leister 1 William Soyers 2 William Porter 3 James Ferguson 4 William Ward 5 George Black 6 Robert Cunningham 7 Arthur Mercer 8 George M.Gill 9 Charles Agnow 10 Arthur Gafftkin 11 Dr. Purden 12 Edw. Lindsay 12 George Black 13 Luke Lennon 14 Mrs. Montgomery 15 John Gear 16 Thomas Garrett 17 William Napier 18 Dr. Arret 19 Alex Stewart 20 Andrew Gilmore 21 Henry Joy 22 J.M. Charly

Botanic Gardens

3

11 10 9 12 8 F 7

A

4 0

1 2

H

13

15

1

I

16

J

6 E

B 1

G

14

18

3

C

4

D

5

Lagan Meadows N

LEISTER DAM

STRAND MILL DAM

BELLER D

C

F

I

K

B

E

H

J

A

D

G

6

8

Linen Linen Hall Hall

N 20 19 M

17

L

6

K

22 O 21

P

Linen Linen Hall, Hall, built built in in 1785 1785 by by Architect Architect Roger Roger Mulholland, Mulholland, was was demolished demolished in in 1896 1896 to tomake make way way for for the the new new City City Hall.

Hall.

The The botanic botanic gardens gardens opened opened in in 1828 1828 as as the the private private Royal Royal Belfast Belfast Botanical Botanical Gardens.

Gardens. It It continued continued as as aa private private park park for for many many years, years, only only opening opening to to members members of of the the public public on on Sundays Sundays prior prior to to 1895.

1895. It It became became aa public public park park in in 1895 1895 when when the the Belfast Belfast Corporation Corporation bought bought the the gardens gardens from from the the Belfast Belfast Botanical Botanical and and Horticultural Horticultural Society.

Society.

Ormeau Ormeau Park Park is is the the oldest oldest municipal municipal park park in in Belfast, Belfast, having having been been officially officially opened opened to to the the public public in in 1871 1871

Ormeau Park

DAM N

BASIN THE BASIN PP

M

L

7

OO

Belfast Belfast ca ca 1830 1830 ++ Original Original Pipe Pipe Drawing Drawing

Historic Overview of B

1733

1663

The Rivers Farcet and Blackstaff had already been polluted with all sorts of filth and offal. A real stink rose from the waters and by all likelihood brought high levels of disease and illness.

The first attempt was made to organise a proper water supply. Some of the records in The Town Book of Belfast show how this was done.

Wooden pipes were used to transport water from Tuck Mill to The Great Dam.

1678

Lord Donegall leases all waters, rivers,brooks, wells and water streams adjacent and continuous to the Town of Belfast, except such water courses and mill dams as are granted with the mills of Belfast to William Johnston of Newforge who came to be known as “Pipewater Johnston”. Little evidence exist of about this supply apart from some newspaper comments.

But it was conducted in wooden pipes and laid into certain homes.

17

1762

The supply was then sub-let to James Hall, but he could not collect enough money to keep the pipes in repair.

The Belfast Society was founded by a group of leading businessmen to build a Poor House and Infirmary for the most vulnerable citizens of Belfast.

The Belfast Charitable Society was responsible for the foundation of social welfare, the supply of clean water, Belfast’s first hospital, the beginnings of a police service, funeral services and a municipal burial ground all beginning with the launch of the Society.

In th 1791 so ve the t publi the went every from well. being a pen of fo The p had fi addit a add of wa avail

Such was the state of the towns water supply the Belfast Charitable Society began to sell it’s own pure well water in the streets to give some relief. It was ordered that a Basin was to be made to hold water and that a pipe be laid.

1778

1752

8

Belfast’s Water Supply

791

he winter of the water was ery scarce in town there were ic outcries in press. A cart around the town yday with water the poor house . The water was g sold at half nny per measure our gallons. poor house fitted up some tional carts if ditional supply ater became lable.

1794

Previous to this date the Poor House Well was a source to subsidise the public supply of drinking water. What is extraordinary is that for the next 45 years they became entirely responsible for the water supply of Belfast.

In the days of Pipewater Johnston’s supply the water was both bad and insufficient, The Charitable Society had long thought they should secure the leases of the water and create adequate works.

During this period water was so scares that the Washing Woman could not have any water from the Poor House well. Those lying in hospital could have access to as much as they needed and during the time of sever water scarcity no person shall be given water. Towards the end of 1794 there was access to some water to wash clothes.

1793

9

1795

It was decided to dispatch John Holmes to London to meet with Lord Donegall or Sir Charles Talbot. He was able to secure the lease of the land with an annual rent of five guineas along with a supply to his castle in Belfast.

The lease was to be for 61 years. The Society was advised to look at Malone Springs and one end of Strand Miles.

The Society had made an attempt to secure the lease of Pipewater Johnston’s old works. Only a few months later hopes were so high that they made enquires to London,Dublin, Edinburgh and Manchester as to whether the new supply should be conducted through elm, iron or lead pipes. Estimates said about £6000 would have to be spent on works in addition to purchase of the necessary leases.

1794

Records show The Society purchased elm pipe of four and five inch bore costing 3 shillings and 4 shillings per yard, being bought from England. The pipes where stored in the grounds of Linen Hall for a small fee. A Mr. A Glenning was to supervise the works, he received a payment of £1.2s.9p per week.

By April more than £2000 had been spend and a meeting was arranged to talk about water rates.

1797

Historic Overview of B

1832

1803

The Charitable Society identify the need to increase supply as the current supply was by no means sufficient to supply the higher parts of the town.

�y ���� the �pring �ater Commissioners could no longer afford to pay the £500 annuity and due to the increase in population the supply was again proving inadequate. Relationships between Lord Donegall and the Belfast Charitable Society soured significantly at this time and John Wallace, a solicitor acting on behalf of Lord Donegall , applied to Parliament to for an ‘Act establishing a Company for the better supplying with water the Inhabitants of the Town of Belfast’.

The Society was empowered, by act of law, to appoint nine commissioners.

This was duly done and the Spring Water Commissioners were appointed to run the water network on behalf of the society and in turn were required to pay an annuity to the Belfast Charitable Society.

1817

183

�n the despit Belfas runnin the Sp Commis Sir Ro a supp The La positi to per being second supply

The General Board of the Charitable Society leased a large part of the ground in Fountain Street to the Police Committee for the construction of offices.

They done this without consulting the Spring Water Commissioners who took great exception to this, writing a long letter in protest to The Society. The Police Committee did not build the offices instead moving to another location.

1831

10

Belfast’s Belfast’s Water Water Supply Supply

34

1837

e winter winter of of ���� ���� e the te the season season t was st was again again g short ng short on on water, water, ring Water pring Water sioners approached ssioners approached bert Bateson obert Bateson for for ly of ply of water water from from gan. Sir agan.

Sir Robert Robert vely declined ively declined mit any rmit any water water taken taken out out of of the the ary level dary level for for the the y of of the the town. town.

The The Belfast Belfast Charitable Charitable Society Society were were reluctant reluctant to to give give up up their their right right to to supply supply water water to to the the people people of of Belfast,as Belfast,as they they had had vested vested to to much much capital, capital, £30,000 £30,000 into into the the scheme scheme and and so so agreed agreed to to approach approach the the Donegall Donegall family family to to try try and and heal heal the the rift. rift.

The The situation situation was was not not helped helped by

by Lord Lord Donegall’s Donegall’s financial financial difficulties. difficulties. He He was was force force to to pull pull funding funding from from aa number number of of projects, projects, including including the the fever fever hospial hospial and and other other charitable charitable Institutions.

Institutions. He He stated stated how how much much he he valued valued their their usefulness usefulness and and how how deeply deeply embarrassed embarrassed he he was was at at not not being being able able to to continue continue his his support. support.

1836

After After years years of of disagreements disagreements between between the the Society Society and and Lord Lord Donegall Donegall matters matters were were finally finally settled settled in in ���� ���� with with the the establishment establishment of of the the Belfast Belfast Water Water Commissioners(NI Commissioners(NI Water), Water), made made up up mostly mostly from from the the existing existing Spring Spring Water Water Commissioners.

Commissioners. It It was was agreed agreed that that the the Society Society would would transfer transfer ‘all ‘all it’s it’s water water property property with with the the exception exception of of the the ground ground in in Fountain Fountain Street’ Street’ and and for for this this they they would would be be paid paid ���� ���� per per annum. annum. �n �n amount amount that that continues continues to to be be paid paid to to this this day. day.

1840 11

Belfast 1:40000

H II CC FF

DD AA

EE

EE

DD GG

BB

BB

CC AA

LEISTER DAM

STRAND MILL DAM AA

BB

CC

DD

EE

12

II

HH

GG

HH FF

BELLER DAM FF

GG

THE BASIN HH

II

Section Section 1:15000 1:15000

13

Cashbook Charitable Society Economy It is estimated that between 1790 and 1840 the Belfast Charitable Society paid in the region of £30,000 (nearly £3,000,000 in today’s prices) to improve the water infrastructure in Belfast through their schemes at the Fountainville Spring, Monday’s Wells and then the major scheme bringing supplies from Lester’s Dam in Lagan Meadows. During this period the population of Belfast grew rapidly from 18,320 in 1791 to 70,447 in 1841 but the unwillingness of people to pay and a price cap, established by law, put the Charitable Society under huge financial pressure and the Belfast Water Commissioners (now NI Water) were established in 1840 to take over the running of the water network.

They agreed to pay £800 per annum to the Belfast Charitable Society, the equivalent of £50,000 now to reimburse them for their investment.

Water rates were charged in the same way as rates are calculated now - based on the rateable value of the property. This was capped at 40 shillings per annum.

From the cash book in the Clifton House archives we get a picture of the everyday income and expenditure on the project.

Item One Puncheon(304L) of water sold Drinks at the Crown Tavern for Water Commissioners One days pay for a labourer 470m of elm piping One spade Total expenditure from May 1795 to April 1797

Cost in 1797 6 ½ Pence

Equivalent Today £1.90

2 shillings 8½ pence

£10.23

1 shilling 7 pence

£6.08

77 pounds and 5 shillings 3 shillings and 9 pence 2390 pounds 10 shillings and 1 pence

£5,929 £14.39 £185,000

14

Wooden Piping

In the 16th and 17th centuries, England used hollowed out logs to transport water, wrapping iron bands around them to increase strength, sealing joints with animal fat to prevent leaking.

To reduce leakage the internal core of the pipe was charred, creating a waterproof sell.

Steel Piping

William Murdoch in the 1800s is thought to be the pioneer of steep pipes when he joined barrels if muskets together.

Steel pipes are still used today.

Plastic Piping

By 2007, 90% of new domestic properties where built using plastic pipework.

15

WAT E R SCARCITY

16

INTRODUCTION: The scale of our household water consumption is widely unknown to the average consumer. By exploring the meaning of water footprint, we have compared how it is used between household, industry and food production. We then investigated 3 future scenarios; changes in diet, population increase, and climate change.

By researching the above, we have illustrated how they could potentially alter Northern Ireland’s water consumption. Using architectural methods in visualising our findings we have revealed the risk water scarcity could potentially have on the future of Northern Ireland.

M.ARCH: REBECCA COBURN KAROLINA DIMITROVA AARON DUFFY JAMES HARRIS UNDERGRADUATE: NATHAN MCCREERY EVE MCFARLANE ELLEN MCKEAG NIA MCNALLY SUMAN MIAH COLLABORATOR: M-NEX DR. SEAN CULLEN PROFESSOR GREG KEEFFE FACILITATOR: 17

DR. NUALA FLOOD

18

19

20

21

22

23

150,000L 150,000L

150,000L 1,000,000 1,000,000 L L 150,000L

150,000L 150,000L

1,000,000 1,000,000 L L

1,000,000 1,000,000 L L

24

25

REFERENCES

26

COMMUNICATING THE HISTORICAL WATER INFRASTRUCTURE IN BELFAST

Loudan, J. (1940). In search of water. Being a history of the Belfast water supply. Belfast.

McCullough, F. (1923). Brief history of Belfast water supply. Belfast: W. & G. Baird.

Pim, E. (1895). Sketch of the rise and progress of the water supply to Belfast. Belfast.

Strain, R. (1961). Belfast and its Charitable Society. London: O.U.P. Connolly, S. (2012). Belfast 400. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press.

Archive References – Clifton House Cash Book Pipe Water Committee (1805) (MS8/2015/002/0049) used for the economics of piped water [Accessed Jan 2019] Grant in Fee between Marquis of Donegall to the Belfast Water Commissioners (1861) (MS8/2015/002/0052) features the copy of the 1795 water course to Fountain Street. [Accessed Jan 2019] A copy of an original plan of the Belfast Water Course in the ownership of the Belfast Charitable Society surveyed by John Cuming (1837) (MS8/2015/001/0005) Lester’s Dam to the Basin behind City Hall map. [Accessed Jan 2019] Online References Pentworth, R (2019) alamy, Available at: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/plastic-underground-pipe.html (Accessed: 16/01/17).

Smith, A (2019) Bollards by Reliance Foundry, Available at: https://www.reliance-foundry.com/ castings/steel-pipes#gref(Accessed: 17/01/2019).

Burrows, M (2019) British plastics federation pipes group, Available at: https://www.bpfpipesgroup.com/about/history/(Accessed: 17/01/19).

Martin, S (2016) Emergency Plumber, Available at: https://www.emergencyplumber.uk.com/plumbing/ the-history-of-pipes (Accessed: 17/01/19).

Archer, F (2019) the spruce, Available at: https://www.thespruce.com/basic-types-of-plumbingpipes-1822487 (Accessed: 17/01/19).

WATER SCARCITY

27

Consumer Council for Water. (2019) How much water do you use? [Online]. Available at: https:// www.ccwater.org.uk/households/using-water-wisely/averagewateruse/ (Accessed: 17 January 2019).

Counsell, C. (2015) CCRA2: Updated projections for water availability for the UK Final Report, Howbery Park, Wallingford,: HR Wallingford.

Government Legislation (2015) The Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/2006/3336/contents (Accessed: 17th January 2019).

Guibourg, C. and Briggs, H. (2019) Climate change: Which vegan milk is best?, Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46654042 (Accessed: 17th January 2019).

Kalin, K. (2018) World Water Day, Available at: https://www.stat.si/StatWeb/en/News/Index/7299 (Accessed: 17th January 2019).

Keane, B. (2018 ) Meat-free diets could cut our ‘water footprint’ in half, say scientists, Available at: https://theconversation.com/meat-free-diets-could-cut-our-water-footprint-in-halfsay-scientists-102926 (Accessed: 17th January 2019).

NI Direct government service (2018) Climate change, Available at: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/climate-change (Accessed: 13th January 2019).

Northern Ireland Water (2018) About us Annual Report, Available at: https://www.niwater.com/annual-report/ (Accessed: 17th January 2019).

Northern Ireland Water. (2019) Northern Ireland Water. [Online]. Available at: https://www.niwater.com/home.aspx (Accessed: 17January 2019).

Northern Ireland Water. (2019) Water Saving. [Online]. Available at: https://www.niwater.com/water-saving/ (Accessed: 17 January 2019) Morelli, A. (2019) The Water We Eat. [Online]. Available at: http://thewaterweeat.com/ (Accessed: 17 January 2019).

Population Pyramid (2018) Population Pyramids of the World from 1950 to 2100, Available at: https://www.populationpyramid.net/slovenia/2080/ (Accessed: 17th January 2019).

Stoddard, E. (2018 ) Cape Town ‘Day Zero’ pushed back to 2019 as dams fill up in South Africa, Available at: https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-safrica-drought/cape-town-day-zero-pushed-backto-2019-as-dams-fill-up-in-south-africa-idUKKCN1HA1LN (Accessed: 17th January 2019).

Swann, A. (2017) Facts & Figures, Available at: https://www.discoverloughneagh.com/facts-figures/ (Accessed: 17th January 2019).

Water Footprint Network (2012) Water footprint, Available at: https://waterfootprint.org/en/water-footprint/ (Accessed: 17th January 2019).

Wikimedia Foundation, Inc (2019) List of countries by average yearly temperature, Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_average_yearly_temperature (Accessed: 13th January 2019).

WWF (2012) Reduce your water footprint on world water day, Available at: https://www.wwf.org.uk/ updates/reduce-your-water-footprint-world-water-day (Accessed: 17th January 2019).

Zygmunt, J. (2007) Hidden waters. [Online]. Available at: https://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Zygmunt_2007.pdf (Accessed: 17th January 2019).

Belfast Water Public CoLab 2019 Queen’s University Belfast INTRODUCTION: Have you ever thought about where your water comes from? Or what it may contain? These are the ideas we’re trying to generate the citizens of Belfast to think about, particularly the power of water to influence our lives. Throughout the course of Public CoLab our aim was to explore “how the relationship between water and the city/citizens of Belfast is best communicated through the medium of zines”. (A zine being a non-commercial self-published work, usually devoted to a specialised subject matter.) We have compiled the important societal and political issues concerning Belfast’s water, explored through nine sub-themes, into our zine.

Throughout the duration of Public CoLab each sub-group have discovered their own findings that may encourage the public to think differently about water, both its impact on the local community as well as further afield. We hope that through the publication of our zine, an impactful change can be made to improving Belfast’ water supply while continuing to shape our relationship with the city.

CONTENTS:

3

TRACING WATER - p.4 THE WATER NETWORK - p.26

TRACING WATER

Introduction: You are as healthy as your infrastructure.

Where does your tap water come from?

Water is a precious resource and water scarcity is a real concern in Belfast.

The following pages will give you some insight into the water networks of Belfast. Where it comes from and where it goes.

The movement of water through the city.

The movement of water through you.

M.ARCH: ELINE COMBES YI CHUN LAI ADAM DOHERTY ADAM MOORE UNDERGRADUATE: NATALIE ANDERSON ARJUN BHARJ MARIA BOYLE AISHA BUZEID GRACE CARNEY COLLABORATOR: DR. TRISTAN STURM FACILITATOR: 5

DR. NUALA FLOOD

“Water, in both liquid and frozen forms, covers approximately 75% of the Earth’s surface”

6

7

River network going to Lough Neagh and Silent Valley.

8

9

“The Earths water content is about 1.39 billion cubic kilometres (331 million cubic miles), with the bulk of it, about 96.5%, being in the global

”

oceans

10

11

12

13

Waterpipe network - Belfast

Waterpipe network - Stranmillis Road Belfast

14

15

Waterpipe network - Stranmillis Park Belfast

The infrastructure of a typical Victorian home in the Belfast. It documents the cycle of the water consumed throughout the house. It also attempts to highlight a social dilemma, where women and children are often around the house more resulting in higher intake to the contaminated water. This begs the question how much does the future of Northern Ireland cost?

Waterpipe network - Terrace House, Belfast

16

Water makes up 70% of our bodies.

Water is the transport medium that carries both vital oxygen and nutrients around the body.

Water is essential in the metabolic process helping with the elimination of waste.

The quality of our water intake is extremely important.

17

Waterpipe network - Human

Water pressure and diameter Various diameters are used in the water piping network. Pipes can be up to 3.65 meters in diameter as it enters a city or town and even larger on routes beyond the city.

Pipes also become smaller as they enter streets, buildings and houses.

The smaller diameter does restrict the flow of water but increases pressure at outputs.

Burst pipes and leakages In England and wales alone, 3.3 billion litres of water is lost annually due to leakages in pipes.

In 2002, a total of 250 million litres of water was wasted in a single day in Northern Ireland.

Approx 5.4m Diameter

Approx 3.4m Diameter In recent years, the amount of water wasted through leakages has risen due to colder winters. Pipes cool down during winter to freeze the water inside. When water freezes it expands, thus breaking the pipe.

Methods of preventing this outcome: •Make sure pipes are at least 2.5ft below ground level.

•Insulate all exposed pipe work •Fit a stop tap on devices so that you may drain water.

18

Cycle of water in buildings and houses Water flows in through the main pipes network From reservoirs.

Water pumps, pump water to various floors Water tanks filled up.

Water pressure (psi) is adjusted through air pressure within tank.

Water is used by people.

Used water is drained through waste water pipes.

Water is now transported back into streams, rivers and seas to be inserted back into the water cycle.

The wastewater treatment process comprises of a series of large surface area, shallow treatment ponds constructed to provide a long retention time and planted with a variety of selected aquatic plants including several species of reeds.

Waste water is transported through pipes to treatment facilities where general cleaning takes place (solids are removed).

Waste water migrates through planted ponds.

Bacteria in waste water breaks down due to plant roots that supply oxygen.

The plants absorb pollutants.

Large surface area of plants allows UV light to kill ‘e-coli’ in water.

19

You are your infrastructure

Altnahinch

Dungonnell

Killylane Moyola

Dorisland

Dunore Point

Caster Bay

Drumaroad Draper Hill Seagahan WTW

Clay Lake

Camlough Fofanny WTW

Carran Hill 2

Water Treatment Works

20

The wastewater treatment process comprises of a series of large surface area, shallow treatment ponds constructed to provide a long retention time and planted with a variety of selected aquatic plants including several species of reeds.

Waste water is transported through pipes to treatment facilities where general cleaning takes place (solids are removed) Waste water migrates through planted ponds.

Bacteria in waste water breaks down due to plant roots that supply oxygen The plants absorb pollutants Large surface area of plants allows UV light to kill ‘e-coli’ in water Water is now transported back into streams, rivers and seas to be inserted back into the water cycle.

21

22

23

24

Leakage Leakage can can be be reduced reduced significantly significantly by by aa reduction reduction in in pressure: pressure:

20% 20% reduction reduction in in pressure pressure can can reduce reduce leakage leakage rates rates by by up up to to 50% 50% Since 2006 2006 Scotish Scotish water water Since has reduced reduced its its leakage leakage has rates by by half. half. rates Using variable variable speed speed Using drives to to control control pumps. pumps. drives Flow rates rates can can be be Flow adjusted to to ensure ensure that that adjusted pressure levels levels are are pressure adequate. adequate. system can can be be AA system automatically reduced reduced or or automatically increased to to keep keep up up with with increased demand. demand.

25

https://wwtonline.co.uk/features/comment-easehttps://wwtonline.co.uk/features/comment-easeoff-the-pressure-to-keep-leaks-in-check off-the-pressure-to-keep-leaks-in-check

THE WATER NETWORK GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SERVICES

Introduction: Through the use of open source data, QGIS and ArchGIS we have created a multi-layered, interactive map in order to raise public awareness of the lead content in Belfast’s water pipes.

We have created an interactive map that helps to visualise recorded data on various indicators on lead piping. The public will be able to upload their own findings through a survey helping to empower the user to investigate the possibility of lead piping in their roads and homes.

Research outputs: Through the use of QGIS (a Geographical Mapping System) we aim to map, analyse and report the indicators of lead piping. From this we will be able to visualise and present a spatial narrative of water and the city. We hope to encourage students to explore the use of immersive mapping technology to enhance their spatial narrative.

The map will be used as a means to enhance the public’s knowledge and awareness on the lead content in Belfast’s waterways. With the public involvement we will be able to identify the affected areas with lead in the pipes. Members of the public can interact with this map through a survey which will contribute to the wealth of online knowledge. The use of QGIS and ArchGIS has allowed the publication of data in such a way that the public can easily engage with the software which will only promote awareness on lead content in the Belfast water pipes.

Acknowledgements: Dr Nuala Flood, Architecture, School of Natural and Built Environment, QUB.

M.ARCH: ROGER BONNAR BRADLEY LYNCH RIANE SAMIR THOMAS TSIANTAR UNDERGRADUATE: CONNOR CURLEY HANNAH DORAN KAYLA ENOS KATIE FAULKNER COLLABORATOR: DR. SIOBHAN MCDERMOTT FACILITATOR: 27

DR. CHANTELLE NIBLOCK

Dr Chantelle Niblock, School of Natural and Built Environment, QUB. Dr Siobhan McDermott, Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork, QUB. Mr Conor Graham, GIS Web Mapping Supported by Centre for GIS and Geomatics SNBE, QUB. Dr Tristan Sturm, School of Natural and Built Environment, QUB.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) estimated that in 2016 lead exposure accounted for 540 000 deaths and 13.9 million years of healthy life lost (disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)) worldwide due to long-term effects on health. The highest burden was in low- and middle-income countries. IHME also estimated that in 2016, lead exposure accounted for 63.8% of the global burden of idiopathic developmental intellectual disability, 3% of the global burden of ischaemic heart disease and 3.1% of the global burden of stroke (3).

Lead exposure can have serious consequences for the health of children. At high levels of exposure, lead attacks the brain and central nervous system to cause coma, convulsions and even death. Children who survive severe lead poisoning may be left with mental retardation and behavioural disorders. At lower levels of exposure that cause no obvious symptoms, and that previously were considered safe, lead is now known to produce a spectrum of injury across multiple body systems. In particular lead can affect children’s brain development resulting in reduced intelligence quotient (IQ), behavioural changes such as reduced attention span and increased antisocial behaviour, and reduced educational attainment. Lead exposure also causes anaemia, hypertension, renal impairment, immunotoxicity and toxicity to the reproductive organs. The neurological and behavioural effects of lead are believed to be irreversible.

There is no known safe blood lead concentration. But it is known that, as lead exposure increases, the range and severity of symptoms and effects also increases. Even blood lead concentrations as low as 5 µg/dL, once thought to be a “safe level”, may be associated with decreased intelligence in children, behavioural difficulties, and learning problems. Encouragingly, the successful phasing out of lead piping, together with other lead control measures, has resulted in a significant decline in population-level blood lead concentrations.

Lead Pipes

Lead Pipes with Chemicals

Plastic Pipes

Lead can enter drinking water when service pipes that contain lead corrode, especially where the water has high acidity or low mineral content that corrodes pipes and fixtures. The most common problem is with brass or chrome-plated brass faucets and fixtures with lead solder, from which significant amounts of lead can enter into the water, especially hot water.

Orthophosphoric acid is commonly used to help prevent lead dissolving into the water supply.

Orthophosphoric acid will add to the overall levels of phosphates in the environment. High levels of phosphates can increase algae growth in lakes and estuaries. Algae use up oxygen and reduce light in the water: this can affect the health and diversity of fish and plant life.

Replacing your Lead water pipes with plastic pipes will significantly reduce the lead content within your drinking water and make it alot safer for consumption. By replacing your water pipes however, there is no option to opt out of orthophosphoric acid in the drinking water being supplied to your home.

Internal Tap Stop

External Tap Stop Mains Water Supply Water Main

Lead Pipe

Plastic Pipe

Stop Tap & Water Meter

Premises Boundary

Scan this QR code to check the pipes in your area!

Stop Tap Cover

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

Check Your Pipe Survey We have created a survey to map the locations of water pipes throughout the city. This quick and simple survey allows you to input results for your own home as well as view the results from other locations in Belfast. The survey can be accessed by scanning the QR code labled ‘Take the Survey’.

In order to view further results for testing in your local area, simply scan the QR code labelled ‘Check the Results’.

How to take the survey : 1) Locate the water stop tap cover for your home. This can be found at the boundary to your property. It can be square or circular and it will have the word ‘water’ or letter ‘W’ engraved on the surface.

2) Once you have located this, identify if it is made of metal or plastic.

If it’s made of plastic, your communication water pipes will have already been changed. If it’s metal, it is likely that lead pipes may be present.

3) Take a photo of the water stop tap cover and add your location to our map.

In order map more efficiently the location of lead water piping within the city, the results received from the survey will be collated and overlaid with the QGIS data.

Note: Communication pipes are the responsibility of NI Water and stop at the boundary to your home. The home owner is responsible for the water pipes within their own home. This means that you may still have lead pipes present in your home even if the communication pipes have been changed.

Take the survey

37

Check the results

REFERENCES

Tracing Water References: Azimap.com. (2019). Interactive Web Map of Northern Ireland Rivers. [online] Available at: https://www.azimap.com/explore/view/13/rivers-defined-under-the-water-framework-directive [Accessed 18 Jan. 2019].

Niwater.com. (2019). The Water Cycle - Northern Ireland Water. [online] Available at: https:// www.niwater.com/the-water-cycle/ [Accessed 18 Jan. 2019].

Anon, (2019). [online] Available at: https://www.hunker.com/13416457/how-does-water-pressurework [Accessed 18 Jan. 2019].

Who.int. (2019). [online] Available at: https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/hygiene/ plumbing14.pdf [Accessed 18 Jan. 2019].

Who.int. (2019). [online] Available at: https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/hygiene/ plumbing14.pdf [Accessed 18 Jan. 2019].

News.bbc.co.uk. (2019). BBC NEWS | N Ireland | A third of NI water ‘wasted’. [online] Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/2063613.stm [Accessed 18 Jan. 2019].

Who.int. (2019). [online] Available at: https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/hygiene/ plumbing14.pdf [Accessed 18 Jan. 2019].

The Water Network References: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (2017). GBD Compare. Seattle: IHME, University of Washington.

Northern Ireland Water. (2019). Lead in Drinking Water. [online] Available at: https://www.niwater.com/sitefiles/resources/pdf/leaflets/2018/leadindrinkingwater2018.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2woQw7WA-DFWpoom98AS4_dNjI0w3hEslObsQ8CgbZ9oyti61ygjQPQpE [Accessed 17 Jan. 2019].

United Nations Environment Programme. (2017). Leaded Petrol Phase Out: Global Status as at March 2017. [online] Available at: http://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/17542/MapWorldLead_March2017.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y [Accessed 17 Jan. 2019].

US EPA. (2019). Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water | US EPA. [online] Available at: https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water?fbclid=IwAR1u_eTCoz0OKPXwTEH2Ysil6gnYyuWYbomE3d4OKK4FCgVD5RhBycIm7k8 [Accessed 17 Jan. 2019].

World Health Organization. (2019). Global Health Observatory: Regulations and controls on lead paint.. [online] Available at: https://www.who.int/gho/phe/chemical_safety/lead_paint_regulations/en/ [Accessed 17 Jan. 2019].

World Health Organization. (2019). Lead Poisoning and Health. [online] Available at: https:// www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lead-poisoning-and-health?fbclid=IwAR2sX8MiXnsEuigyFYL3ebTCx3o7ip7kozd3qK29Wt77s5aCDFDtq4gqvs0 [Accessed 17 Jan. 2019] Map Sources: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, i-cubed, USDA FSA, USGS, AEX, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, swisstopo, and the GIS User Community, DeLorme, HERE, Intermap, Esri Japan, METI, Esri China (Hong Kong), Esri (Thailand), MapmyIndia, Tomtom, increment P Corp., GEBCO, USGS, FAO, NPS, NRCAN, GeoBase, Kadaster NL, Ordnance Survey, METI, National Geographic, UNEP-WCMC, NASA, ESA, METI, NRCAN, NOAA, iPC, Garmin, Geonames.org, and other contributors

39

1

Belfast Water Public CoLab 2019 Queen’s University Belfast INTRODUCTION: Have you ever thought about where your water comes from? Or what it may contain? These are the ideas we’re trying to generate the citizens of Belfast to think about, particularly the power of water to influence our lives. Throughout the course of Public CoLab our aim was to explore “how the relationship between water and the city/citizens of Belfast is best communicated through the medium of zines”. (A zine being a non-commercial self-published work, usually devoted to a specialised subject matter.) We have compiled the important societal and political issues concerning Belfast’s water, explored through nine sub-themes, into our zine.

Throughout the duration of Public CoLab each sub-group have discovered their own findings that may encourage the public to think differently about water, both its impact on the local community as well as further afield. We hope that through the publication of our zine, an impactful change can be made to improving Belfast’ water supply while continuing to shape our relationship with the city.

CONTENTS:

3

LEADED SPACES IN BELFAST - p.4 FLOODING FUTURES - p.18

LEADED SPACES IN BELFAST 4

INTRODUCTION: Our project proposes envisaging lead as an actor which affects our physical health and behaviour, networking itself through city pipes, and into the home and body. Lead is seen as trans-corporeal, enmeshed in the material and human world. Through our research we seek to bring to light the effects lead has, not only on the human body, but on society as a whole by “x-raying” the human body, home and city, exposing the presence and effects of lead. Lead poisoning, gained through drinking water with high lead contents, leads to issues in the bones, heart and brain.

M.ARCH: LAUREN BARWISE SHANE CARVILLE HOLLY CHAPMAN LÉA VANDEKERCKHOVE UNDERGRADUATE: CHLOE CASSIDY ZOEY JE YI CHAN ZHEN HONG CHEAH ARIANNA CLEMENTS SIUN CRUMLEY COLLABORATOR: DR. TRISTAN STURM FACILITATOR: 5

DR. NUALA FLOOD

Lead systematically networks from the urban environment into the human body; the human and material world are intrisically interconnected as shown above.

6

Lead in water is invisible and present in almost every glass we drink. A foetus absorbs blood that could be 85%-95% more concentrated in lead than the mother’s own blood. (Chandramouli, 2009) 7

House as an Extension of the Human Body

As lead enters the body, the lead silently negatively acts on the body - the graphic shows the house and the body gradually degrading due to lead uptake from drinking water.

8

Lead is a toxic substance that poses a variety of dangers for humans. It has been shown to affect the organs and/or system in the body. Young children and the developing fetus are particularly at risk.

Blood lead levels as low as 2 μg/dL may not cause distinctive symptoms but once it exceeds 10 µg/dL the consequences are increasing. Lead negatively affects the formation of red blood cells. Very high levels of lead can cause seizures, coma and death.

9

Inflitration of Lead

Lead damages the central and peripheral nervous system, the kidneys and the body. It is stored in the bone for decades, causing long-term internal exposure.

One of the main potential risks to lead poisoning can be through drinking tap water if your property has lead pipes, a lead water tank or pipework with lead fittings. In a small number of cases, this can result in lead contaminating the water supply.

10

11

The Lead Network

The effects of lead reach far further than the individual. In addition to causing health and behavioral problems in children, lead poisoning may result in serious costs to both a child’s future and to society.

Institutions affected by the implicxations of lead poisoning included, hospitals and specialist schools.

12

Cost to Society

Childs Future

Childhood Effects

13

1969 The year lead pipes were banned in NI

Houses in NI built after 1969

Approx no. houses still with lead pipes in NI

Case Study

NI House Lead Levels

High levels of toxic lead have been found in the drinking water of 15 homes in Northumberland village. 60% of these properties saw levels of more than 50 micrograms per litre.

The residents of the village have been encouraged to find other sources of drinking water. Maureen Hugill, a 63 year old resident has a property with a reading of 49 micrograms per litre.

“We are well over the limit and I am very concerned about it. I don’t feel happy with my grandchildren coming to stay with us until this issue is resolved. Everyone is entitled to a fresh and clean supply of water.”

>50 µg/l 25-50 µg/l 10-25 µg/l 0-10 µg/l recommended

14

Tap Filter Mobile Water Test Water test kits allows you to check your drinking water for eight common contaminants, including lead.

Small filters are available which connect directly to the tap filtering the water of lead direct into the glass.

Under Sink Water Filter A water filter is a device which removes impurities from water by means of a fine physical barrier. Typical filters have a ceramic filtering system within the container. Filters are used to cleanse water for drinking water of toxins including lead.

15

What to do now?

Step 1 - Identify youself The supply pipe is your responsibility and the communication pipe is NI Water’s responsibility. The division of responsibility for the service pipe between NI Water and property owners is as shown: Service Pipe: Pipe connecting the watermain to the property Communication Pipe: NI Water owned section of service pipe, from the watermain to property boundary or stopcock Supply Pipe: Customer owned section of service pipe, from property boundary or stopcock to property

Step 2 - Contact Water NI Organise for Water NI to visit your property.

Water NI can be contacted by: Tel: 08457 440088.

Post: Northern Ireland Water P.O. Box 1026 Belfast BT1 9DJ @: waterline@niwater.com

Step 3 - Action Water NI can organise to test your water for lead levels.

The lead water main and communication pipe can be removed and changed to a nontoxic material free of charge on the condition you replace the supply line.

Scan the QR Code for Lead Pipe Replacement Application Form

16

“Even low levels of lead in the blood of children can result in behaviour and learning pr problems as well as lower IQ and hyperactivity”

17

FLOODING FUTURES

18

INTRODUCTION: Flooding Futures aims to illustrate the challenges and effects of flooding that awaits future generations in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Instead of fearing future flooding, loss of lives, environmental and economic damage; Flooding futures propose we accept the inevitable and develop our Cities to take advantage and build above the increasing water levels.

In response to climate change and the aggressive fluctuation of weather conditions, Flooding Futures investigates the possibility of using the roots of nature and underwater life such as marine microorganisms and algae as an endless source of renewable energy. A timeline of the possible outcomes has been created through a triptych series to display the catastrophic scenes that may occur in the foreseen future.

M.ARCH: DECLAN DAVIS NAOMI SMYTH KIERAN TESTER JONATHAN YAU UNDERGRADUATE: HOLLIE HAMILTON JOSH HARPER ANNIE HART COLLABORATOR: REBECCA JANE MCCONNELL FACILITATOR: 19

DR. NUALA FLOOD

“The average US citizen uses 65-78 gallons per day, while the average person in the Republic of Gambia, Africa, uses just 1.17 gallons. This is barely above the minimum amount needed to survive”

20

At present, the sea level rises at a rate of 3.4mm annually across the globe. Without intervention, the rate at which the sea level increases will continue to accelerate over the next century. Whilst Belfast is subject to isostatic rebound (the process by which the landmass of Ireland and Northern Ireland rise slightly each year) of 0.4mm per year, this isn’t nearly enough to offset the rate at which the sea level is currently rising. There are a few reasons as to why the sea level is rising. It is typically thought that the sea level is rising due to melting ice caps in Arctic regions however, whilst this does cause the oceans to rise; over 50% of the rise is attributed to thermal expansion (excess heat in the atmosphere is absorbed by the ocean causing it to expand considerably). At currents rates, the sea level around Belfast is predicted to rise between 22.8cm and 37.6cm by 2084.

21

Belfast 2084

Underwater Belfast

Surrounded by Water, Dying of Thirst

22

23

Retreat to Higher Ground

24

25

REFERENCES

26

LEADED SPACES IN BELFAST

Dublin Inquirer () This Water Is Not Fit for Human Consumption, Available at: https://www.dublininquirer.com/2015/07/22/this-water-is-not-fit-for-human-consumption(Accessed: 17th January 2019).

Irish Examiner () Efforts to replace lead pipes by Irish Water have been ‘slow’, Available at: https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/efforts-to-replace-lead-pipes-by-irish-waterhave-been-slow-epa-report-shows-848462.html (Accessed: 17th January 2019).

Loyola University () Ripple effects of childhood lead poisoning, Available at: https://www.luc. edu/healthyhomes/leadsafeillinois/leadfacts/rippleeffectsofchildhoodleadpoisoning/(Accessed: 17th January 2019).

Northern Ireland Water (2019) Lead pipes, Available at: https://www.niwater.com/lead-pipes/ (Accessed: 16th January 2019).

Northumberland Gazette () Unsafe lead levels found in water supply, Available at: https://www. northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/unsafe-lead-levels-found-in-residents-water-supply-1-9402449 (Accessed: 17th January 2019).

The Journal IE () European Commission opens case against Ireland over levels of drinking water contamination, Available at: https://www.thejournal.ie/water-contamination-4162785-Aug2018/ (Accessed: 17th January 2019).

Oregon Health Society () Lead Poisoning, Available at: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/Pages/index. aspx (Accessed: 17th January 2019).

RTE () Water supply to 10% of south Dublin homes may be contaminated by lead, Available at: https://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0324/689368-pipes/ (Accessed: 17th January 2019).

United States Environmental Protection Agency (2018) Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water, Available at: https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water (Accessed: 16th January 2019).

Water NI () Lead Pipes, Available at: https://www.niwater.com/lead-pipes/ (Accessed: 17th January 2019).

FLOODING FUTURES

National Geographic Society () What the World Would Look Like if All the Ice Melted, Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2013/09/rising-seas-ice-melt-new-shoreline-maps/ (Accessed: 15th January 2019).

Ni Direct Government Services () Climate change, Available at: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/climate-change?fbclid=IwAR1-v2KedK6mbzKm02vmmPF9VrMM1URE2SgElv5Pwo3jqNv-tGhtBKocPMc (Accessed: 14th January 2019).

Climate Northern Ireland (2017) Belfast Sea Level Rise – A Briefing for Policy Makers, Available at: https://www.climatenorthernireland.org/cmsfiles/LWWP-Belfast-Sea-Level-Rise-Briefing-for-Policy-Makers.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1DkVr83EN_MZpjRSDK0u_ZkKleMbEaLXYaKN93vfDj_0qTXplWhhuY-gE(Accessed: 14th January 2019).

NASA (2018) Global Climate Change - Vital Signs of The Planet , Available at: https://climate. nasa.gov/vital-signs/sea-level/ (Accessed: 15th January 2019).

National Geographic Society () Sea Level Rise, Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/ environment/global-warming/sea-level-rise/(Accessed: 15th January 2019).

Union of Concerned Scientists () Global Warming, Available at: https://www.ucsusa.org/global-warming#.XEGwVc_7QnU (Accessed: 16th January 2019).

Mairs, J. (2016) Sunken pools and planting proposed to ease flooding in Copenhagen neighbourhood, Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2016/07/12/hans-tavsens-park-korsgade-sla-copenhagen-denmark-flooding-urban-planning/ (Accessed: 14th January 2019).

Knight. S. (2017) What would an entirely flood-proof city look like?, Available at: https://www. theguardian.com/cities/2017/sep/25/what-flood-proof-city-china-dhaka-houston (Accessed: 14th January 2019).

Burgess, M. (2014) AQUATECTURE: DESIGNING FUTURE CITIES TO TAKE A NON-DEFENSIVE APPROACH TO FLOODING, Available at: https://www.factor-tech.com/future-cities/9019-aquatecture-designing-future-cities-to-take-a-non-defensive-approach-to-flooding/ (Accessed: 14th January 2019)

27

Belfast Water Public CoLab 2019 Queen’s University Belfast INTRODUCTION: Have you ever thought about where your water comes from? Or what it may contain? These are the ideas we’re trying to generate the citizens of Belfast to think about, particularly the power of water to influence our lives. Throughout the course of Public CoLab our aim was to explore “how the relationship between water and the city/citizens of Belfast is best communicated through the medium of zines”. (A zine being a non-commercial self-published work, usually devoted to a specialised subject matter.) We have compiled the important societal and political issues concerning Belfast’s water, explored through nine sub-themes, into our zine.

Throughout the duration of Public CoLab each sub-group have discovered their own findings that may encourage the public to think differently about water, both its impact on the local community as well as further afield. We hope that through the publication of our zine, an impactful change can be made to improving Belfast’ water supply while continuing to shape our relationship with the city.

CONTENTS:

3

MAPPING ORAL HISTORY ALONG THE LAGAN - p.4 REFLECTIONS - p.18

MAPPING ORAL HISTORY ALONG THE LAGAN

Introduction: The harbour was a base for the prosperity of the city and was a home to the world’s largest and most productive shipyard. These developments took a turn in the 1970s when the port slipped into an underutilized and undervalued space, radically transforming Belfast’s urban landscape.

Today the harbour is thriving with economic activity with the users of the harbour at the soul of the ongoing regeneration scheme. Starting from the Lagan Weir and walking towards the mouth of River Lagan, interactions with people tell a story of the transformation of the harbour and its impact on their way of life.

M.ARCH: LEONARD CHIPAWA GLENN MCNAMARA DERMOT O’NEILL UNDERGRADUATE MÉABH MINNIS RACHEL MURPHY LUKE O’BRIEN ALEXIS PAYOT CAITLIN REID COLLABORATOR: PROFESSOR SEAN O’CONNELL FACILITATOR: 5

DR. JASNA MARIOTTI

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

“In 2010, the UN General Assembly explicitly recognized the human right to water and sanitation. Everyone has the right to sufficient, continuous, safe, acceptable, physically accessible, and afforda ble water for personal and domestic use.”

16

“Geologic evidence suggests that large amounts of water have likely flowed ic evide onnce Earth for the s that past large3.8 billion ts of year wates—m r ost of its kely flowe d ence” exist rth for the 3.8 billion most of its stence” 17

REFLECTIONS

Introduction: Exploring water through the theme of reflections has allowed the three groups analyse the relationship between water and the urban environment of Belfast different styles. The creation of these films has allowed those participating understand the river Lagan I a different way, and see that water is essential Belfast to provide calm and stillness but also allow nature to flourish.

M.ARCH: APURVA LENGADE TIARNAN MC ILHATTON AARON SHAW UNDERGRADUATE FAHAD AL OMRANI ANNA SHAW KYAW SWAR KARIN WIMAN ANSON WONG DEIRDRE YOONG COLLABORATOR: STEPHEN MULHALL FACILITATOR: 19

DR. NIEK TURNER

to in to in

Reflection of Typologies This short film is a depiction of three different building typologies and their relationship to the river Lagan. We analyse how the journey between the building and the riverside and whether the building is open to the Lagan or whether it faces away abruptly. Also having a range of scales looking back at the buildings from the river gives perspective – this is how the river sees our urban environment.

24

Contrasting shots of the Lagan with pathway to the Ashby Building.

Ranging scale looking at the building typologies and plan close to the Lagan.

25

Travelling Water Our group was interested in showing the juxtaposition of water between public and domestic consumption.

Through the medium of film, we explored the spatial contrast in which water is found.

These moments are encapsulated in three sections of the film, mainly the Mouth of the River (located near Clarendon Dock), Main of the River (around the proximity of Stranmillis Embankment) and near its Tributary (around Barnett Demesne/Belvoir Park Forest).

By weaving images and clips featuring day to day activities into the film, we hope to show you the journey in which water travels before arriving around us.

Travelling Water Scan for film

The short film is formated into three distinct sections of water from the Lagan River. The Opening scene pans from the mouth of the river into the city, with overlays that depict how water is utilised in Belfast.

The overlaying clips break the frame on the black borders of the main picture drawing attention to emphasise the bodies of water in our daily lives which often go unnoticed.

22 22

Final Scene where water meanders gently through its course. The prominent sound at this section seeks to further emphasise the natural setting where water pours out from many avenues along the river bank showing the contrast with that of pouring tap, which we are accustomed to hearing.

Stills from Silent Valley Reservoir

We hope that you enjoyed the video and appreciate the importance of water.

23 23

24

25