EPA publishes 2019 Bathing Water Quality Report
The EPA has today published the Bathing Water in Ireland report for 2019 which sets out the quality of bathing […]
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Catchment News
Catchments.ie changes: chemistry data downloads
The latest update to catchments.ie has made chemistry data downloadable. These downloads are available for every subcatchment and water body […]
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Catchments.ie changes: new Water Map
This week we’ve upgraded the catchments.ie maps, and have added many new features and layers. The maps have lots of […]
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Stories from the waterside – new storytelling competition launched
A brand new national storytelling competition ‘Stories from the Waterside’ / ‘Scéalta Ó Thaobh An Uisce’ with €4000 in prizes […]
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Inland Fisheries Ireland: Irish lakes & rivers emoji quiz
Thanks to Inland Fisheries Ireland who shared this on Twitter. Enjoy! Can you guess the Rivers and Lakes around Ireland […]
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Citizen science online: learning to identify Ireland’s Dragonflies and Damselflies
Dragonflies and damselflies are beautiful creatures. Their presence near freshwater can provide a useful indicator of water quality. Dave Wall, […]
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Floodplains: a natural system to preserve and restore
The preservation and restoration of Europe’s largely degraded floodplains, must be better prioritised according to European Environment Agency report ‘Floodplains: […]
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World Wetlands Day 2020
Each year on World Wetlands Day various groups including government agencies, non-governmental organisations and community groups organise events aimed at […]
Read MoreWho 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 waterbodies.
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 and Communities Office.
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 4,829 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives and measures for each.
Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government
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 that will be implemented after public consultation and sign off by the Minister.