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Home News Catchments Newsletter – Issue 17: Autumn 2025

Catchments Newsletter – Issue 17: Autumn 2025

Momentum is building across Ireland’s catchments, and this latest edition of the Catchments Newsletter captures that energy. From community-led restoration efforts to innovative farming practices and citizen science projects, Issue 17 showcases the people, projects and policies that are making a real difference on the ground.

Autumn 2025 Catchments Newsletter – download now

Inside this issue

The new Water Action Plan for Ireland – a roadmap to improve over 800 waterbodies by 2027.
Farming for Water EIP – a €60 million initiative supporting farmers to deliver targeted, nature-based solutions.
Community action – from Enniscorthy’s kayak clean-ups to Tomhaggard Clean Coasts Group’s inspiring coastal stewardship and circular economy projects.
EPA insights – including the latest research, water quality monitoring, and a behind-the-scenes look at the life of an EPA ecologist.

We also celebrate the winners of the ‘My Favourite Waterbody’ photo competition, with stunning images from Kerry, Kilkenny, Longford and Wexford featured on the cover.

A peaceful river scene featuring the River Bann in County Wexford, Ireland. Clear, shallow water flows over pebbles, surrounded by lush green trees and vegetation. An ivy-covered stone bridge with three arches spans the river in the background, with sunlight filtering through the trees and casting dappled light on the water. Text in the image reads: 'My Favourite Waterbody, Runner-up River Bann - Co. Wexford By Cheryl Poole.'

A misty landscape featuring a stone bridge with multiple arches crossing the River Nore in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Frost covers the grass and pathway along the riverbank, with trees and hills visible in the background. Text in the image reads: 'My Favourite Waterbody, Runner-up River Nore, Co. Kilkenny By Sean Nikken.

Whether you’re a farmer, researcher, community volunteer or simply someone who loves your local river, lake or coastline – this issue has something for you.

Have a story to tell? We’re always looking for inspiring stories that connect people to water and nature. Get in touch via www.catchments.ie/contact

Editorial – Momentum is Building

As we move through 2025, it’s clear that momentum is building to protect and improve our water catchments. This edition of the Catchments Newsletter is full of inspiring stories—from community-led restoration efforts to innovative farming practices and citizen science projects that are making a real difference on the ground.
Across the country, we’re seeing a growing number of initiatives aimed at improving water quality—driven by communities, local authorities, farmers, researchers, and public bodies alike. These efforts continue to play a central role in addressing the challenges we face. While 54% of our waters are in satisfactory condition, 46% are not—and that’s a challenge we must continue to face together.
Encouragingly, early signs of progress are emerging. The EPA’s early insights nitrogen report shows improvements in nitrogen levels in the most impacted catchments in the southeast, which is very welcome. Agriculture is the largest source of nitrogen in our waterways and there are many actions underway by farmers to reduce losses which are starting to bear fruit. However, nitrogen is only one of the elements that is measured in assessing overall water quality – we also monitor biological elements such as plants, insects, fish and algae and the condition of the habitat they live in, as well as chemicals and other physico-chemical elements such as oxygen and pH for example. Overall water quality is assessed using all of these elements.
Looking ahead, the EPA will continue to share early insights and data to support informed action. Later in 2025 we will publish the next Water Quality in Ireland report, which will present a comprehensive view of water quality more generally, where we stand and where we need to go.
There’s still work to do, and data alone doesn’t deliver change. As highlighted at this year’s EPA Water Conference, collaboration, communication, and integration remain essential. We have the science, we have the people, we have the funds, we have the community and the political support, the challenge now is to turn that momentum into implementation.
Thank you to everyone contributing to this shared effort. Let’s keep the momentum going.

Our Catchments Newsletter brings together science and stories from community groups, local authorities, public bodies, researchers, the EPA and the Local Authority Waters Programme, and others about the different ways we all work together to care for Ireland’s rivers, lakes, streams and coastal waters so they can be protected, and restored where necessary.

View past Catchments Newsletters

EPA published reports and guidance documents on Monitoring and Assessment: Freshwater & Marine. Monitoring & Assessment: Freshwater & Marine Publications | Environmental Protection Agency

Local Authority Waters Programme – Local Authority Waters Programme

Note: While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, new data and insights are continually emerging. We will continue to share updated findings as they become available.

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.