River Flow and Ecology Case Study: The Lotic-invertebrate Index for Flow Evaluation (LIFE) in Irish Rivers
This article explores a case study from the EPA-funded research project on biological tools for assessing the impact of river […]
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Archive
EPA Conference Series: Protecting water sources: reducing pesticide risks in the Erne-Larah catchment
Lorraine Gaston (Uisce Éireann) presented on The Erne-Larah Water Source Protection Project, a pilot initiative led by Uisce Éireann in […]
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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) […]
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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 […]
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The Rivers Trust: Big River Watch Data Now Available
The Rivers Trust has made data from the 2025 Big River Watch available on their interactive Dashboard. Thousands of public […]
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EPA publishes Bathing Water Quality in Ireland report for 2024
High standards achieved for Bathing Water quality in 2024, but challenges remain during heavy rainfall 8 May 2025: The Environmental […]
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Public Consultation on the Designation of Heavily Modified Water Bodies for Ireland’s third cycle River Basin Management Plan
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage invites submissions, observations and comments on the designation of heavily modified water […]
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Early insights indicator report: Nitrogen concentrations in selected major rivers, January-December 2024
The EPA has published an early insights bulletin into nitrogen levels in major rivers in Ireland for the period January […]
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Public consultation on the EPA’s proposed assessment methodology and hydrological limits for identifying significant water abstractions
An abstraction is the removal or diversion of water from a river, lake, stream, spring, groundwater well, or borehole, for […]
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Ireland’s freshwaters: a world of wonder and discovery awaits you
Ireland’s freshwaters are host to an amazing world of animals, plants and other organisms. These organisms, many of whom are […]
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 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.