Environmentalists call on Government to address 'unacceptable' pollution in Ireland's waterways

'Sewage discharges are a significant issue for over 200 of our rivers, lakes and bays which have been assessed as unhealthy by the EPA,' environmental group Swan said.

The upcoming plan for managing Ireland's waterways will be a test of the Government's resolve towards tackling "unacceptable" pollution of lakes and rivers, environmental groups have said.

The Sustainable Water Network (Swan), made up of 25 national and local environmental groups such as An Taisce, Coastwatch, and Cork Environmental Forum, said the levels of pollution going into Ireland's lakes, rivers, and sea areas "pose a serious risk to sensitive habitats and to public health".

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said this week that Uisce Éireann, formerly Irish Water, had not managed to tackle pollution at some of the most significantly impacted rivers, estuaries, lakes, and coastal waters.

Wastewater treatment at 15 large urban areas, including Dublin, did not meet EU environmental standards, while 26 towns and villages discharge raw sewage every day as they are not connected to treatment plants.

Raw sewage from the equivalent of 54,000 people still discharged into the environment every day, the EPA said.

Uisce Éireann said over €450m was invested on wastewater treatment in 2022, the highest annual spend to date, as it targets priority areas for raw sewage entering rivers, lakes, the sea, and sites identified by the European Court of Justice under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.

Swan said the upcoming River Basin Management Plan was now critical.

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

The latest river plan is in the final stages of preparation, according to the Department of Housing. 

Brussels is becoming impatient with Ireland, telling it to get on with publishing the plan as recently as last month. 

The European Commission said it was calling on Ireland and seven other member states to finalise the review of their River Basin Management Plans as required under the Water Framework Directive. 

The directive requires that all inland and coastal waters reach at least good status by 2027 at the latest.

Swan coordinator Sinéad O'Brien said: "Sewage discharges are a significant issue for over 200 of our rivers, lakes and bays which have been assessed as unhealthy by the EPA. Yet we have no commitment from Government to ensure that the next Irish Water investment plan has clear actions to halt this pollution. 

"They must remedy this unacceptable state of affairs by including these measures in their plan for managing Ireland’s inland and coastal waters, the River Basin Management Plan, which is to be published this year.

While there has been some progress on raw sewage release, the fact that raw and poorly treated sewage is still being discharged into our rivers, lakes and seas is unacceptable. 

"It’s polluting our water environment and posing a serious risk to sensitive habitats and to public health.”

Precious water wildlife and the health of the public should not have to suffer from the dire consequences of an under-resourced, ineffective wastewater infrastructure any longer, she said.

"Government must step up and meet its responsibilities to the environment and public health. The imminent River Basin Management Plan will be a test of whether they are willing to do that.”