River Basin Management Plan 2018 - 2021
From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Published on
Last updated on
The Government has published the River Basin Management Plan for Ireland 2018-2021. The Plan sets out the actions that Ireland will take to improve water quality and achieve ‘good’ ecological status in water bodies (rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters) by 2027. Ireland is required to produce a river basin management plan under the Water Framework Directive (WFD).
Water quality in Ireland has deteriorated over the past two decades. The Plan provides a more coordinated framework for improving the quality of our waters — to protect public health, the environment, water amenities and to sustain water-intensive industries, including agri-food and tourism, particularly in rural Ireland.
The River Basin Management Plan outlines the new approach that Ireland will take to protect our waters over the period to 2021. It builds on lessons learned from the first planning cycle in a number of areas:
The newly-established Local Authority Waters and Communities Office will help people to get involved in improving water quality at a local level. An Fóram Uisce, also newly established, is a forum for stakeholders, community groups and sectoral representatives. It will analyse and raise awareness of water issues.
An enhanced evidence base has been developed to guide national policies and the targeting of local measures. Technical assessments of 4,829 water bodies have been carried out, examining their status (quality) and whether they are ‘at risk’ of not meeting status objectives in the future. Using this information, the Plan sets out national policies and regional prioritised measures.
Among the main actions that will be taken through the Plan are:
The Plan has been published following three formal phases of public consultation, over 120 town hall meetings, over 2,000 submissions from interested parties, and meetings with representative bodies and stakeholders.
Executive Summary - River Basin Management Plan 2018-2021
Water quality is both a local and a national issue. A lot of improvements to water quality in your local rivers, lakes or coastal waters can happen with local knowledge and actions such as community clean-ups of a river. LAWCO is working with local groups and communities to help them play their part in protecting their waters.
To find out about how you can get involved in protecting water quality, contact LAWCO
Phone: +353 (0)761 065 262
To get information about water quality in your local area or water quality activities throughout the country, visit the EPA's Catchments website.
The website contains guidance, maps, data, resources, case studies and water-related news from around Ireland. You can also sign up for a quarterly Catchments Newsletter and for updates about relevant events in your county.