Decline in Ireland's highest quality water bodies 'a serious warning sign', EPA says

The EPA report said our very best rivers, or 'blue dot rivers' which have the highest number of pollution sensitive aquatic fauna, continue to deteriorate with their condition dropping significantly over the past decade. File picture: Dan Linehan

Ireland's best quality rivers and lakes are in decline and we need to heed the warning that "once they are lost, they are difficult to recover".

The Environmental Protection Agency’s latest report on water quality for 2025 shows no major change in the year as water quality remains unsatisfactory in many areas with nutrient levels remaining too high in a “large proportion” of water bodies.