EPA - Ireland's Environment 2016

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

estuaries and 13,000 km

of coastal waters.

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).