EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Chapter 7: Water Quality Targeted Approaches and Existing Legislation Must Be Fully Implemented to Reduce Pressures on Water Bodies Nutrients inputs from different sectors need to be reduced across the board to improve water quality. Managing the additional pressures that are likely to come with the expansion in certain sectors (e.g. Food Wise 2025 and Food Strategy 2030 in the agriculture sector and planned expansion in forestry) will be difficult when existing pressures are already causing a net decline in the quality of our surface waters. In agriculture, the current expansion in the size of the national herd means that additional measures are required to reduce nutrient pollution from this sector. The nature of these measures will depend on the nutrient in question and the landscape setting. For nitrogen, the riskiest areas are the freely draining soils, and the approach must be to reduce the loss of nitrogen from source, for example by reducing the use of artificial fertiliser. This can be achieved by improving soil fertility and better nutrient management planning. For phosphorus, the riskiest areas are the poorly draining soils, and in these areas measures are needed to break the pathway between the source of phosphorus and the receiving water body. For example, strategically located buffer zones can prevent pollutants from entering waterways. These, and other approaches can be used to ensure that the right measures are being applied in the right place. These measures can also have multiple benefits for other environmental objectives. For example, reducing the use of chemical nitrogen fertiliser can have benefits for greenhouse gas reduction and improvement of air quality, while buffer zones to intercept phosphorus can also have benefits for biodiversity. In parts of the country with different soil types and physical settings, however, these measures may be less effective in preventing water pollution. It may not always be possible to put measures in place to intercept surface flows of phosphorus or prevent nitrogen from seeping into groundwaters and reaching sensitive downstream water bodies. This means that some areas of the country are more vulnerable to nutrient pollution and less suitable for agricultural intensification. In addition to nutrient pollution, changes to the physical nature of water bodies and water habitats through direct physical modifications or as a result of excessive sedimentation must also be addressed. While progress is being made in assessing the hydromorphological condition of surface waters, further work is required to better understand what measures are required to address hydromorphological impacts and to inform the development of regulatory systems for activities that physically modify water bodies. There are still too many areas where discharges of inadequately treated sewage from urban wastewater treatment systems are harming the environment and putting public health at risk. Progress has been slow in addressing areas where wastewater from urban treatment systems has been identified as a significant pressure preventing water bodies from meeting their environmental objectives and in areas where untreated sewage is still being discharged into the environment. The rate at which wastewater treatment infrastructure is being delivered must improve and must target those areas that would benefit the most in terms of protecting the environment and public health. In forestry, the greater awareness of water-related issues being displayed by the sector is encouraging. The challenge now is to ensure that the environmental conditions stipulated in forestry licenses are being adhered too while at the same time encouraging and supporting the uptake of forestry-related environmental schemes such as the Native Woodland Establishment Scheme and Forestry for Water Measure. The EPA is undertaking the next round of characterisation in preparation for Ireland’s third RBMP Plan 2022-2027. This information will be used to identify the water bodies at risk from significant pressures and the measures needed to address these pressures over the period of the next plan. Buffer zone to prevent pollution from entering the river 187