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Home News Early insights indicator report: Nitrogen concentrations in selected major rivers, January-December 2024

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 to December 2024. These early insights are based on the nitrate levels for 20 representative river monitoring sites. These sites are situated at the most downstream monitoring locations on the major rivers around Ireland.

Overall, the early insights indicator shows that nitrogen levels have improved in 2024. However, nitrogen remains too high in the southeastern half of the country. Agriculture is the primary source of nitrogen in these areas.

The EPA continually strives to produce timely information and evidence on Ireland’s environment. Specifically, this publication responds to a need for early insights into trends in nitrogen levels. Agriculture is the primary source of nitrogen in Irish rivers and there is significant action underway within the sector to improve water quality. It is therefore very welcome to see these early signs of improvement. It is important that the sector builds on this momentum and continues to implement actions to reduce nutrient losses in a targeted way.
Dr Eimear Cotter, Director of the Office of Evidence and Assessment

Despite the reduction, nitrogen remains too high in the southeastern half of the country and further reductions will be needed to bring them to satisfactory levels. Agriculture is the primary source of nitrogen in our waters. Significant actions are underway by the sector to reduce nitrogen losses. Ongoing and sustained actions will be needed to reduce nutrient levels so that the ecological health of our waters can improve.

It is very positive to see this improvement in nitrogen levels in 2024, following a period of little positive change in recent years. However, nitrogen levels remain too high in the southeastern half of the country. Further actions will be necessary to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus losses to levels which will support good ecological health in our water bodies. The ecology will not improve until nutrient levels are reduced in the areas where they are elevated. The EPA will be reporting on the ecological health of our waters later in 2025.
Dr Jenny Deakin, EPA Programme Manager

The EPA will publish its three-yearly assessment of water quality in Ireland, for the period 2019 – 2024, later in 2025. This future report will combine data on nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in waterbodies, with the biological quality monitoring data on fish, aquatic insects and plants, to give a comprehensive assessment of the ecological health of all waters.

Learn more:

Read the full paper: https://www.epa.ie/publications/monitoring–assessment/freshwater–marine/nitrogen-concentrations-in-selected-major-rivers-jan-dec-2024.php

Further information on local water quality and targeting agricultural measures is available on: https://www.catchments.ie/water-map/

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.

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