Catchment News

Home News August 2023 Hydrology Bulletin

August 2023 Hydrology Bulletin

The Hydrology Summary Bulletin for August 2023 outlines the flows in rivers, rainfall, lake levels, groundwater levels and spring outflows of over 300 stations across Ireland.

Overview

The monthly rainfall totals were above the long-term average for August in most places, wettest in
the Northeast and Southwest. The monthly average river flows for August remained high since last
month, with 87% of monitoring stations above the long-term normal for August. Similarly, 88% of
lake and turlough monitoring stations observed levels above the long-term normal range for this
month.

Average monthly groundwater levels also rose at 68% of monitoring wells since July with almost
three-quarter (73%) of monitoring wells recording levels above the long-term average for August.
Similarly, most monitored spring outflows were above the normal range this time of year.

Learn more:

https://www.epa.ie/publications/monitoring–assessment/freshwater–marine/hydrology-bulletin/hydrology-bulletin/hydrology-summary-bulletin—august-2023.php

The monthly rainfall totals were above the long-term average for August in most of Ireland. It was wettest in the Northeast and Southwest of the country.

Read our August Hydrology Bulletin covering rainfall, river flows, lake and groundwater levels here: https://t.co/9cfjsoTc3v pic.twitter.com/HpeNmflPdL
— EPA Ireland (@EPAIreland) September 12, 2023

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.