'Red alert' - Water quality in almost half of Ireland's rivers, lakes, and estuaries substandard

The Sustainable Water Network (SWAN), a network of 25 of Ireland’s leading environmental organisations, said the Government must introduce an effective plan "to address Ireland’s escalating water pollution crisis". File picture: Denis Minihane

The state of rivers, lakes, and estuaries has been described by as "profoundly alarming" by environmentalists and conservationists after it emerged nearly half of Ireland's water quality is substandard.

Only just over half of rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal waters are in satisfactory condition, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which warned the further decline in water quality means Ireland is currently off course to meet the EU and national goal of restoring all waters to good or better status in the next five years.

Heritage organisation An Taisce said the EPA report should be a "red alert" for Irish waters, while the Sustainable Water Network (SWAN), a network of 25 of Ireland’s leading environmental organisations, said the Government must introduce an effective plan "to address Ireland’s escalating water pollution crisis".

Farming run-off in the south is the culprit for much of the "alarming" deterioration, according to the EPA, with a marked decline of 15.7% in the number of estuary water bodies in satisfactory condition, and a 9.5% decline in the number of coastal water bodies in satisfactory condition.

SWAN said this was a "golden opportunity" for the Government to fix the issues highlighted in the EPA report in the upcoming River Basin Management Plan.

According to our ‘Water Quality in Ireland Report 2016-2021’, at the current level of progress, Ireland will fail to meet the EU and national goal of restoring all waters to good or better status by 2027. Read the report: https://t.co/wKM2dJoa1c#Water #WaterQuality @Dept_ECC pic.twitter.com/4rmRiyQYUJ

— EPA Ireland (@EPAIreland) October 14, 2022

According to the EU's Water Framework Directive (WFD), which became law in October 2000, EU member states must have "good" water quality in rivers, lakes, groundwater, estuaries, and coastal waters, by 2027 at the latest.

River Basin Management Plans are unveiled in six-year cycles, and the latest will bring Ireland up to the EU's 2027 deadline.

SWAN coordinator Sinéad O'Brien said: "This report has revealed yet again the ongoing failure of government to address this crisis and to stem the tide of water pollution.

This has not happened by accident. 

"The State’s policy for, and promotion of, aggressive agricultural expansion and intensification, particularly in the dairy sector, runs contrary to the ever-growing body of evidence showing the drastic impacts this is having on our rivers, lakes and coasts, especially in vulnerable catchments."

An Taisce said individuals alone cannot solve the water quality crisis. 

"Governments must stand up and be counted, it simply isn’t possible for individuals to solve this crisis without robust government support. Urgent and transformative steps are now necessary to stem the tide of water pollution," it said.