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Hydrology Summary Bulletin – July 2026

Hydrology bulletin on rainfall, river flows, lake levels, groundwater levels and spring outflows for July 2026

July 2026 was dominated by persistent high pressure, making it one of the hottest, driest and
sunniest months on record for Ireland. Atlantic weather fronts were kept away to the north and
west resulting in predominantly dry conditions, abundant sunshine and high temperatures
particularly in the south and east. At the end of the month, conditions became slightly cooler and
cloudier with occasional rain or showers mainly in the west and north.

The exceptionally dry and warm weather conditions experienced during July 2026 had a clear
impact on river flows across Ireland. With drought conditions affecting much of the country,
average river flows decreased at all monitoring stations assessed, with 60% of the monthly average
river flows below the long-term normal range.

Lake and turlough levels also decreased at almost all monitored sites, with 36% below the long
term normal range. Groundwater levels decreased at all monitoring locations with 47% below the
long-term normal range. Of the five spring flows monitored, 3 were classified as ‘normal’ and 2
were in the ‘particularly low’ range.

Download and read the full Hydrology Bulletin for July 2026 here.

About EPA Monthly Hydrology Bulletin: Monthly Hydrology Bulletin – Catchments.ie – Catchments.ie

Access previous EPA monthly Hydrology Bulletins here: Monitoring & Assessment: Freshwater & Marine Publications | Environmental Protection Agency

About author

EPA Catchments Unit

Administrator

The EPA Catchments Unit is based in Dublin, and the team is involved with catchment science, chemistry, ecology, hydromorphology, modelling, Geographic Information Systems and planning. We work with the wider EPA, all of our local authorities, the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and other public bodies and Departments to ensure we have the best available data and information about our catchments.

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.