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Early insights indicator report: Nitrogen concentrations in selected major rivers, January – June 2025

Early insights into river nitrogen levels indicate an increase in the first half of 2025.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published the Early Insights Nitrogen Indicator report for the first six-months of 2025. The report has been developed to provide more timely information on nitrogen levels and is based on monitoring data for 20 major, representative rivers. Overall, the report shows that nitrogen levels have increased by 16 per cent in the first half of 2025, relative to the same period in 2024.

The data show that nitrogen levels remain too high in the southeastern half of the country. Agriculture is the primary source of nitrogen in these areas. Targeted and sustained action will be needed in the higher risk, freely draining, agricultural areas to reduce nitrogen losses to waters before aquatic ecological health, and overall water quality will improve. The EPA Farm and Landscape measures for Agriculture (FLAG) map helps to identify where these highest risk areas are and will assist in identifying the types of actions that are needed.

a Plot graph showing early insight nitrogen concentrations (Jan-Jun 25) at representative sites. The data for the first half of 2025 shows that nitrogen levels in rivers have increased by 16 per cent since the same period in 2024.

“The EPA continually strives to produce timely information and evidence on Ireland’s environment. Specifically, this publication responds to a need for early insights into trends in nitrogen levels. Agriculture is the primary source of nitrogen in Irish rivers and there is significant action underway within the sector to improve water quality. It is therefore disappointing to see this increase in nitrogen levels for the first six months of 2025 following reductions in 2024. It is important that the sector implement sustained actions to reduce nutrient losses in a targeted way.”
Dr Eimear Cotter, Director of the EPA, Office of Evidence and Assessment

Download: Early insights indicator report: Nitrogen concentrations in selected major rivers, January – June 2025

The EPA will publish its three-yearly assessment of water quality in Ireland, for the period 2019 – 2024, later in 2025. This future report will combine data on nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in waterbodies, with the biological quality monitoring data on fish, aquatic insects and plants, to give a comprehensive assessment of the ecological health of all waters.

Learn more

The latest edition of the Early Insights Nitrogen Indicator report is now available on the EPA website: https://www.epa.ie/publications/monitoring–assessment/freshwater–marine/early-insights-indicator-report-nitrogen-concentrations-in-selected-major-rivers-january-june-2025.php

Further information on local water quality, including the FLAG map to help target agricultural measures, is available here.

There have been two previous iterations, covering the periods January – June 2024, and January – December 2024. Previous early insight indicator reports have outlined the basis for the indicator and the monitoring points involved (including links to monitoring point data).

Pressures impacting on waters: The EPA has published a series of reports on the main pressures impacting on waters which are available at Update on pressures impacting on water quality. Catchment level information on water quality is available here.

The River Basin Management Plan sets out the national policy and actions that are being taken by all sectors to improve and protect water quality. Further information about the National River Basin Management Plan is available on the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage website.

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.