Ireland’s woodlands and forests: a renewed focus under the second cycle of the River Basin Management Plan
Kevin Collins and Ken Bucke, Forestry Inspectors with the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine, provide us with an […]
Read MoreThe 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.
Kevin Collins and Ken Bucke, Forestry Inspectors with the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine, provide us with an […]
Read MoreIn 2018, the EPA published a National Hydrometric Monitoring Programme for 2018-2021 to coordinate the collection and analysis of information […]
Read MoreForestry has been identified as the fourth most prevalent significant pressure, impacting 238 waterbodies or 16% of the 1,460 At […]
Read MoreHydromorphology is a relatively new discipline which is described in the Water Framework Directive. Hydromorphology is the study of physical […]
Read MoreUrban Waste Water Treatment Plants and agglomeration networks (UWW) have been identified as a significant pressure in 20 % (291) […]
Read MoreAgriculture is the most common land use in Ireland, covering approximately 65% of the country. Through the initial characterisation process, […]
Read MorePeat extraction for commercial or domestic purposes, and modification or drainage of peatlands for other uses such as forestry or […]
Read MoreInvasive species are a significant pressure impacting 42 or 1.8% of the 1,460 At Risk water bodies. This total of […]
Read MoreThe drought of summer 2018 was a unique opportunity to measure how much water was flowing when levels were approaching […]
Read MoreFran Igoe tells us how the local community in Duncannon, County Wexford have been working together to understand their local […]
Read MoreQuite 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.
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.
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.
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.