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October 2023 Hydrology Bulletin

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

October was very wet in the Midlands, South and East, especially during the second half of the
month, with record high October rainfall in places. Saturated ground due to well above average
rainfall over the previous three months, along with some intense rainfall events during October, led
to several significant flooding episodes.

The monthly average river flows for October remained high since last month, with 89% of river
flows above the long-term normal for October. 86% of lake and turlough monitoring stations
observed levels above the long-term normal range for this month.

October Monthly Hydrology Bulletin: https://www.epa.ie/publications/monitoring–assessment/freshwater–marine/hydrology-bulletin/hydrology-bulletin/hydrology-summary-bulletin—october-2023.php

River Flows October 2023

Groundwater levels

Average monthly groundwater levels increased with 86% of monitoring wells recording levels above
the long-term average for October. Similarly, most monitored spring outflows were above the
normal range for this time of year.

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.