Rinn Lough

Lake in south County Leitrim, Ireland

53°53′3″N 7°50′52″W / 53.88417°N 7.84778°W / 53.88417; -7.84778Primary inflowsCloone RiverPrimary outflowsRiver RinnCatchment area178.06 km2 (68.7 sq mi)Basin countriesIrelandMax. length4 km (2.5 mi)Max. width0.7 km (0.4 mi)Surface area1.65 km2 (0.64 sq mi)Surface elevation39 m (128 ft)Islands6SettlementsMohillReferences[1][2][3]

Rinn Lough (Irish: Claonloch, also Irish: Loch na Reanna),[1] also known as Lough Rynn, is a freshwater lake in the northwest of Ireland. It is located in south County Leitrim.

Geography

Rinn Lough measures about 4 km (2.5 mi) long and 1 km (0.6 mi) wide. It is located about 4 km (2 mi) south of Mohill. Lough Rynn Castle, a medieval castle now a hotel, occupies an estate on the lake's northeastern shore.[2]

Hydrology

Two smaller neighbouring lakes drain into Rinn Lough: Clooncoc Lough and Lough Errew. Rinn Lough drains south into the Rinn River flowing into Lough Forbes. Part of the river forms the Rinn River Natural Heritage Area.[2][4]

Ecology

The water quality was reported to be satisfactory c. 2001 – c. 2006 maintaining a mesotrophic rating.[5][6][n 1] but given a "bad ecological status" c. 2007 – c. 2009 due to pollution.[8] Zebra mussel infestation is present.[6] The ecology of Rinn Lough, and Irish waterways, remains threatened by curly waterweed, zebra mussel, and freshwater clam invasive species.[9][10]

See also

References and notes

Notes

  1. ^ Trophic states of "Oligotrophic" and "Mesotrophic" are desirable, but freshwater lakes rated 'Eutrophic' or 'Hypertrophic' indicates pollution.[7]

Primary sources

  1. ^ a b "Claonloch/Rinn Lough". Placenames Database of Ireland. Government of Ireland - Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Google (28 December 2015). "Rinn Lough" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  3. ^ Free, Gary; Little, Ruth; Tierney, Deirdre; Donnelly, Karol & Caroni, Rossana (2006). A Reference Based Typology and Ecological Assessment System for Irish Lakes (PDF) (Report). Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland). p. 13. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Rinn River NHA" (PDF). National Parks and Wildlife Service (Ireland). Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  5. ^ Clenaghan, Clinton & Crowe 2005, pp. 97.
  6. ^ a b EPA 2010, pp. 80.
  7. ^ Clenaghan, Clinton & Crowe 2005, pp. 8.
  8. ^ EPA 2010, pp. 7, 84.
  9. ^ Pedreschi et al. 2014.
  10. ^ Clenaghan, Clinton & Crowe 2005, pp. 16.

Secondary sources

  • Clenaghan, Conor; Clinton, Frank; Crowe, Matthew (2005). Phosphorus Regulations National Implementation Report (PDF) (Report). Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Enforcement.
  • Pedreschi, D.; Kelly-Quinn, M.; Caffrey, J; O'Grady, M.; Mariani, S.; Phillimore, A. (2014), "Genetic structure of pike (Esox lucius) reveals a complex and previously unrecognized colonization history of Ireland", Journal of Biogeography, 41 (3), Journal of Biogeography, 41(3), 548–560.: 548–560, doi:10.1111/jbi.12220, PMC 4238397, PMID 25435649
  • EPA (2010). Martin McGarrigle; John Lucey; Micheál Ó Cinnéide (eds.). Water Quality in Ireland 2007-2009 (PDF) (Report). EPA, Aquatic Environment Office of Environmental Assessment.