2022 EPA Water Conference

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The EPA Water Conference took place in Galway and online on 18 and 19 May 2022. Speakers shared their knowledge on how to protect & improve water quality and showcased case studies from around Ireland. You can learn about the state of Ireland’s waters, European and national policy, and the development of plans and work at national, regional and local scale.

Cover photo of 2022 EPA Water Conference

2022 EPA Water Conference – Conference Programme

Download 2022 EPA Water Conference Programme

2022 EPA Water Conference – Videos

Session 1: Setting the scene

1. Opening address	Laura Burke Director General, Environmental Protection Agency
2. Water quality in Ireland	Dr Eimear Cotter Director of Evidence and Assessment, Environmental Protection Agency
3. Ireland’s next River Basin Management Plan 2022—2027	Feargal Ó’Coigligh Assistant Secretary, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

Session 2: Agriculture

4. Nitrates and water quality across the EU	Gorka Barrio Montoya Policy Officer (Nitrates Directive), EU DG Environment, Land Use and Management
5. Achieving water quality objectives through regulation and incentivisation	Dr Leanne Roche Nitrates & Biodiversity Division, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
6. ASSAP — A good start but a lot more still to do	Pat Murphy Head of Environment Knowledge Transfer, Teagasc

Session 3: Hydromorphology

7. Flood Risk Management in a changing environment	Mark Adamson Head of Risk Management and Climate Adaptation Division, Flood Risk Management Services, Office of Public Works
8. Assessing physical barriers to fish migration	Brian Coghlan Research Officer, Inland Fisheries Ireland
9. Restoring fish passage in the Lower River Shannon	Marq Redeker Principal, CDM Smith

Session 4: Health and water services

10. Research – current and emerging concerns for water and health	Dr Anne Nolan Associate Research Professor, Economic and Social Research Institute
11. Irish Water wastewater investment plans and future needs	Ted O’Reilly Asset Planning Lead, Irish Water
12. Addressing significant pressures on water quality: enforcement approaches	Jim Moriarty & Becci Cantrell EPA

Session 5: Policy and people

13. Water in Europe: Towards sustainable solutions	Dr Hans Bruyninckx Executive Director, European Environment Agency
The public perception of water quality	Ella McSweeney Journalist
14. Combining trust and science: the group water scheme approach to integrated catchment management	Sean Corrigan National Federation of Group Water Schemes

Session 6: Local measures and solutions in action

15. Progress with the Areas for Action, data sharing and the LAWPRO referrals process	Gary O’Connell Catchments Manager, Border Region, LAWPRO
16. Improving bathing water quality in Lough Ennell	Jonathan Deane Senior Engineer for Water, Environment and Climate Change, Westmeath County Council
17. Steps to build in Nature Based Solutions in a congested Public Realm Project Area	Leonore O’Neill Senior Executive Officer, Ennis Municipal District, Clare County Council
18. Sliabh Beagh habitat restoration. Co-benefits for the sites water quality.	Dr Rory Sheehan Climate Action Co-Ordinator, Louth County Council Paul Sherlock Collaborative Action for the Nature Network (CANN project), Monaghan County Council

Who is involved?
Quite simply, everyone in Ireland has a role to play. This can be from something as simple as making sure you don’t pollute your local stream, or a local community working together to establish a Rivers Trust to enhance the rivers and lakes in their area, to a Government Department or Agency helping a Minister implement a new policy to help protect and enhance all our water bodies.

This website has been developed and is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and is a collaboration between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Local Authority Waters Programme.

Local Authority Waters Programme

The Local Authority Waters Programme coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, and supports local community and stakeholder involvement in managing our natural waters, for everyone’s benefit.

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4,842 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives for each.

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Department is responsible for making sure that the right policies, regulations and resources are in place to implement the Water Framework Directive, and developing a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures to protect and restore our waters.