Bernard Durkan
Question:314. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the extent to which water quality continues to be monitored; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54188/21]
View answerTuesday, 9 November 2021
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The EU Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy) establishes a common framework for the protection of inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and groundwater. The overall aim of the Directive is to maintain high and good status waters where they exist and to restore waters that do not currently reach these standards.
The Water Framework Directive (WFD) has been transposed into Irish law through a number of Regulations that cover governance, water monitoring and status assessment programmes in terms of assigning responsibilities for the monitoring of different water categories, determining the quality elements and undertaking the characterisation and classification assessments.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversees national programmes of monitoring and reporting on the quality of rivers, lakes, transitional, coastal waters and groundwater. The EPA’s most recent published report in this regard is Water Quality in Ireland 2013-2018, which is available at the following link: www.epa.ie/publications/monitoring--assessment/freshwater--marine/water-quality-in-ireland-2013-2018.php
A collaboration between my Department, the EPA and local authorities through the Local Authority Waters Programme, the www.catchments.ie website contains information about Ireland's river catchments, sub-catchments and some 4,829 water bodies throughout Ireland, with assessments and trends for water quality also available for many water bodies.