Agriculture the primary culprit as water quality fails to improve 

The EPA said nitrogen was too high in 40% of river sites and in 20% of estuarine and coastal water bodies. File picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

There was no real improvement in the water quality of Irish lakes, rivers, and coasts last year, with agriculture the primary culprit for pollution, according to the State's environmental watchdog.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said fertilisers and manure had exacerbated nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the country's rivers and lakes.