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Chapter 5: Inland and Marine Waters
Inland and Marine Waters
Introduction
Ireland has abundant surface water resources, with over
70,000 km of river channel, 12,000 lakes, 850 km
2
of
estuaries and 13,000 km
2
of coastal waters.
1
Groundwater
is also abundant, occurring almost everywhere and
supplying 20‑25% of water supplies nationally.
The state of Ireland’s groundwater and surface waters is
assessed based on a comprehensive and representative
water quality monitoring programme designed to support
the implementation of the river basin planning process
under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) (2000/60/
EC). The network consists of over 3500 monitoring sites
covering groundwater, rivers, canals, lakes, estuaries and
coastal waters. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
local authorities, Inland Fisheries Ireland, the National Parks
and Wildlife Service, Waterways Ireland and the Marine
Institute are responsible for implementing the programme.
The aims of the WFD are to maintain high and good
status waters where they exist, prevent any deterioration
in the existing status of waters, manage water bodies
based on river basins or catchments to achieve at least
good status in accordance with the environmental
objectives set out in River Basin Management Plans
(RBMPs) and involve the public.
1 Coastal waters refer to waters within 1 nautical mile of the coastline.
This will be achieved by identifying key threats to water
quality on a catchment basis, improving implementation
of existing directives and developing new evidence-based
measures for mitigation of threats supported by national
and local level schemes and initiatives.
The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) has
similar aims to the WFD for the protection of the marine
environment beyond the areas considered under the WFD.
It requires the application of an ecosystem-based approach
to the management of human activities, enabling a
sustainable use of marine goods and services. It requires
Ireland to describe, monitor and assess what are clean,
healthy and productive seas, i.e. Good Environmental
Status, and ensure that appropriate action is taken by
2020 to maintain or achieve this status. The Department
of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government
is the lead body for the implementation of the MSFD and
is supported by a number of other departments and state
agencies, including the Marine Institute (MI).