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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Articles by category
Floodplains: a natural system to preserve and restore
The preservation and restoration of Europe’s largely degraded floodplains must be better prioritised according to the European Environment Agency report […]
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New EU projects launched to restore Ireland’s blanket bogs and protect and improve water quality
The European Commission Representation in Ireland has announced the launch of two major new EU-funded environmental projects aimed at restoring […]
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WaterMARKE: mitigating agricultural impacts through research and knowledge exchange
The WaterMARKE project will develop operational guidelines for farmers, advisors and policy makers for the successful implementation of water quality […]
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Catch Crops – improving soil structure and water infiltration, and reducing nitrate and soil loss
Catch crops are grown between successive cereal crops to help protect the soil and reduce the losses of nutrients and […]
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Source to Tap – emerging evidence of the scale of the MCPA pesticide problem in cross-border Irish catchments
Source to Tap are monitoring water quality in the River Derg to gauge the impact of grants given to farmers […]
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Natural Water Retention Measures – implementing the Flood Risk Management Plans
Conor Galvin from the OPW tells us about how Natural Water Retention Measures can deliver multiple environmental benefits for habitats, […]
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Lough Carra marl lake – protecting one of Ireland’s most unique and threatened habitats
Lough Carra in County Mayo is a unique lake in the west of Ireland and indeed in Europe, due to […]
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Anglers in border region scale up lake monitoring
The Local Authority Waters Programme is helping anglers in the border region monitor their lakes using innovative citizen science techniques. […]
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2019: our year in review
As we start a new year (and a new decade!) its worth looking back at the year just gone by. […]
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.