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2018: our year on Twitter

2018 saw lots of changes in water management in Ireland. The River Basin Management Plan for 2018-2021 was published in April, and over 60 new people began work to protect and improve our waters around the country.

This included in the LA Waters Programme, where new Catchment Assessment Teams joined the existing Waters and Communities teams.

NEW ARTICLE:

Learn all about the new @WatersProgramme Catchment Assessment Teams who are working to protect and improve water quality across the country.https://t.co/Jq20lIlIEb pic.twitter.com/fYmgvqEawB

— EPA Catchments (@EPACatchments) December 11, 2018

As well as the LA Waters Programme, Teagasc also launched the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme, with 30 advisors working full-time to help farmers improve water quality.

There is a new advisory service which aims to help farmers improve water quality. Read all about the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme in the most recent #TodaysFarm https://t.co/CIaskoGAbE pic.twitter.com/eDiWDEpXHQ

— Teagasc (@teagasc) November 30, 2018

Our top Tweets from 2018:

January

New Story:

Cool Planet Experience, the world’s first permanent visitor centre dedicated to climate change, launched by Sir Richard Branson in Powerscourt, County Wicklowhttps://t.co/fa7YFU8jXn pic.twitter.com/UpbVNUYvYY

— EPA Catchments (@EPACatchments) January 11, 2018

February

Presenting today to the EPA: @EPAIreland @BTYSTE Best Environmental Project Special Award winners – “Microplastics: think before you drink” pic.twitter.com/126XsxfxzO

— EPA Catchments (@EPACatchments) February 21, 2018

March

Fantastic to see Minister @MurphyEoghan closing today’s Rivers Trust #rtconf18 – new Community Water Fund on the way via @LawcoWaterNews pic.twitter.com/ALBMZ8Gd8p

— EPA Catchments (@EPACatchments) March 21, 2018

April

Minister Murphy launches River Basin Management Plan 2018-2021#rbmp https://t.co/WUAnNWWFFe pic.twitter.com/PaGMJLQsQ2

— EPA Catchments (@EPACatchments) April 18, 2018

May

St. Joseph’s Foroige, Streamstown – award-winning work to reduce pesticide use https://t.co/TGVIC7acJx pic.twitter.com/OzsPNbMtiY

— EPA Catchments (@EPACatchments) May 10, 2018

June

If you are interested in doing something for nature in your community, check out these Community Biodiversity Grants from @CommunityFound – 1 €10k and 5 €5k grants available! Closes 6th July 2018. https://t.co/KkRYxsCAbV pic.twitter.com/PheHfu2JDx

— EPA Catchments (@EPACatchments) June 14, 2018

July

The @EPAIreland Hydrometrics team are very busy recording the low flows across #Ireland during the current #drought

All their data are on https://t.co/e6Byj95Prb

1. Upper Liffey, upstream of Poulaphouca – only 5m wide at present pic.twitter.com/V06ybKezsY

— EPA Catchments (@EPACatchments) July 26, 2018

August

Hydrometric weekly update:

56% (100 gauges) of monitoring gauges are currently at or below their 95%ile flow – 14% increase in gauges that are at or below their 95%ile flow over the past week.

Of the remaining 79 gauges assessed, 6 are within 10% of their 95%ile flow. pic.twitter.com/hWWb2ND77k

— EPA Catchments (@EPACatchments) August 17, 2018

September

Come visit the EPA at #Ploughing18 – Block 3 Row 14, Stand no. 298 👋. We’re here to help with anything you need to know about private wells, radon testing and air quality. #privatewells #radon #airquality #environment pic.twitter.com/hB5MKXFIK7

— EPA Catchments (@EPACatchments) September 18, 2018

October

JUST RELEASED: EPA Research Report 260: Impact of Cattle Access to Watercourses: Literature Review.

Project assessing the environmental, ecological and socio-economic impact of existing and potential measures that prevent cattle access to watercourses.https://t.co/czb8u9zHjw

— EPA Catchments (@EPACatchments) October 10, 2018

November

JUST PUBLISHED:
Water Quality in 2017: an indicators report https://t.co/ydJd0urb14 pic.twitter.com/GCdNecFbt6

— EPA Catchments (@EPACatchments) November 30, 2018

December

There is nothing quite like a walk beside trees and a river to calm the mind and soothe the soul.

Photo: The Barrow Towpath, just south of Graiguenamanagh pic.twitter.com/5KYe42FgaF

— EPA Catchments (@EPACatchments) December 10, 2018

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.