Significant Pressures: Drained Peat
Peatlands account for approximately 20% of the land area in Ireland. Peatlands provide a range of functions, including maintaining biodiversity, […]
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Archive
Celebrate World Wetlands Day – Thursday 2 February 2023
Wetlands are critically important ecosystems that contribute to biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, freshwater availability, and more. World Wetlands Day, […]
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The wonder of wetlands: Coole Lough and Garryland Wood
To celebrate World Wetlands Day and 50 years since the signing of the Ramsar Convention the Irish Ramsar Wetlands Committee […]
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Celebrate World Wetlands Day, 2 February 2021 – events, resources and photo competition
World Wetlands Day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the […]
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‘Stories from the waterside’ – readings and website launch on 2 February for World Wetlands Day
The Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) will launch a new website dedicated to ‘Stories from the waterside’ at an online […]
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What is in the bog water?
The Living Bog is a project working so that 12 of Ireland’s unique raised bog SAC’s in seven counties will […]
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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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World Wetlands Day 2020
Each year on World Wetlands Day various groups including government agencies, non-governmental organisations and community groups organise events aimed at […]
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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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Ireland’s Blanket Bogs – more dynamic than meets the eye
Raymond Flynn and Michael Anderson from Queen’s University Belfast’s explain how Ireland’s blanket bogs are affected by the hydrology of […]
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.