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Water Quality

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 June 2018

Thursday, 14 June 2018

Questions (242)

Jackie Cahill

Question:

242. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, has carried out tests regarding water quality from forest operations. [25939/18]

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Written answers

As part of the development of Ireland’s 2nd cycle River Basin Management Plan (RBMP) 2018-2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) undertook an extensive catchment characterisation process to understand the pressures impacting upon water quality. The RBMP is available on my Department’s website at: http://www.housing.gov.ie/water/water-quality/river-basin-management-plans/river-basin-management-plan-2018-2021.

This catchment characterisation process involved the EPA assessing the risk of water bodies not meeting the water quality requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy) and it identified the significant pressures on each water body at risk of not meeting its objectives. This process, which relies on water quality monitoring data among other tools, has found that forestry is a significant pressure in 16 per cent of water bodies identified as at risk.

Ireland’s RBMP 2018-2021 sets out comprehensive programmes of measures to manage the identified pressures on water bodies, including forestry.

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