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Over €2.4 Million Announced for Local Water Quality Improvements Across Ireland

Ministers Browne and O’Sullivan announce over €2.4 million for community water quality improvement projects nationwide.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD, and Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD, have announced €2,445,229 in funding for projects aimed at improving water quality across the country. The funding has been awarded through the Community Water Development Fund and the Catchment Support Fund, both administered by the Local Authority Waters Programme on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Of the total awarded, €1,332,492 will be delivered through the Community Water Development Fund to 92 projects nationally and €1,112,737 through the Catchment Support Fund to 56 groups across 20 counties, in addition to two national projects.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne, TD, welcomed the announcement:

“Local action by communities and groups is critical in our efforts to protect our waters. Through the Community Water Development Fund and the Catchment Support Fund, we are providing significant investment in the grassroots work of local communities and voluntary groups who care deeply about water quality in their local areas. My Department’s funding supports these groups to deliver meaningful projects that protect and restore local rivers, lakes and streams.”

Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD, added:

“Communities are passionate about their rivers, streams, lakes and coastal areas, and I’m delighted that the €2.4m we’re announcing today will support local efforts to protect and restore them. The Government is committed to improving water quality, and this investment will enable the Local Authority Waters Programme to continue their work supporting groups across the country to deliver on our shared goals for nature. I’d like to thank everyone who is dedicating their time, energy and expertise to these amazing habitats and wish them the best of luck as they undertake their projects.”

Under the Community Water Development Fund, local communities and groups receive grants for projects and initiatives to enhance local water bodies thereby helping to improve water quality and protect biodiversity. The Catchment Support Fund builds the capacity of community groups actively involved in water quality management by providing financial assistance for their core costs, including staff salaries, administration and promotional materials.

Both funds help community groups and organisations to deliver a wide range of projects to improve water quality nationwide, including:

River and catchment conservation and restoration: initiatives to restore and protect local rivers and their ecosystems.
Community engagement: programmes that promote water stewardship and raise awareness about water quality issues.
Biodiversity enhancement: projects that support habitats and species dependent on clean water.
Preparation of reports: feasibility studies, habitat management plans, ecological surveys, and hydromorphological studies.

Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Christopher O’Sullivan alongside members of the Cork Sub Aqua Group, which received funding for the protection and promotion of Oysterhaven and Kinsale Seagrass Beds in the Community Water Development Fund 2026.

Commenting on the 2026 fund, Director of Services for the Local Authority Waters Programme, Anthony Coleman said:

“Local communities play a vital role in protecting and improving our water quality. The Local Authority Waters Programme is proud to support the work of community groups, volunteers and NGOs across the country through our funding programmes, helping them take action to improve and protect our waterways for current and future generations.”

Local Authority Waters Programme staff have seen increased demand for these funding schemes which have grown significantly in recent years. Both funds have nearly doubled in the past two years alone, with the Community Water Development Fund rising from €702,000 in 2024 to over €1.3 million in 2026, and the Catchment Support Fund rising from €500,000 in 2024 to more than €1.1 million in the current funding announcement.

These funding schemes are an important commitment within Ireland’s Water Action Plan 2024, the roadmap to restore our waterbodies to ‘good’ status or better and to protect against further deterioration up to 2027, as required under the EU’s Water Framework Directive.

View the full list of Community Water Development Fund Grants.

Learn more

Ministers Browne and O’Sullivan announce over €2.4 million for community water quality improvement projects nationwide – Local Authority Waters Programme

Local Authority Waters Programme – Local Authority Waters Programme

WFD Data and Dashboards – Catchments.ie – Catchments.ie

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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.