River Faughan
The River Faughan rises in central Co. Londonderry on the western slopes of the Sperrins mountain range, flows in a north-westerly direction and eventually discharges into Lough Foyle. The river and its tributaries have a channel length of approximately 66.5 km and a catchment area of 295 km2. The river flows through a valley of glacial origin with large deposits of sand and gravel present throughout the catchment.
Ancient semi-natural woodland along the Faughan valley include Ness Wood, Ervey Wood and Bonds Glen, all Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs) designated for their priority woodland habitats and associated rare woodland species. The River Faughan catchment is a candidate SAC, based on populations of Atlantic Salmon and otters. The Foyle and Faughan also support wild brown trout and sea trout, and provide important habitat for kingfishers and sand martins.
The Faughan Catchment
Invasive Plant Distribution in the Faughan catchment - 2011 update
The Faughan catchment has the greatest spread of invasive plant species of the three catchments in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Himalayan Balsam is found from its highest extent 1 km southwest of Claudy and continues for 25 km downstream, where a dense infestation is located near the mouth of the river at Lough Foyle. Japanese Knotweed was found throughout the lower 30 km of the River Faughan. Its distribution stretches from Killycor Bridge (located 3 km southeast of Claudy) to the mouth of the river and is increasingly abundant downstream of the village of Drumahoe. Giant Hogweed distribution was limited on the Faughan catchment to a few sparse individual plants along the lower stretches of the river.
