Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

202 Chapter 8: Water 4. Responses 4 www.gov.ie/en/press-release/468aa-ministers-mcconalogue-hackett-and-noonan-launch-60-million-farming-for-water-eip/ (accessed 25 June 2024). 5 www.fisheriesireland.ie/what-we-do/research/national-barriers-programme (accessed 25 June 2024). The WFD and other associated national and EU environmental, public health and planning legislation set the framework used to protect and restore water quality in Ireland. This legislation is implemented by a range of public bodies and by local authorities. The WFD requires that river basin management plans (RBMPs) establishing programmes of measures to achieve water quality objectives are implemented in 6-year cycles. River basin management plans The first two cycles of RBMPs, covering the period 2009–2021, established comprehensive monitoring and reporting programmes, developed new governance structures, and implemented an integrated catchment management approach to the protection of waters. Over that time, however, the plans did not achieve the water quality protection and restoration objectives required under the WFD. The Water Action Plan 2024, A River Basin Management Plan for Ireland, which covers the third cycle, was published in September 2024 (DHLGH, 2024). While some of the new measures, such as the Farming for Water European Innovation Partnership (EIP) 4 and National Barriers Programme, 5 have commenced, the delay in finalising and adopting the overall plan delayed progress in improving governance, implementing measures and enacting legislation required to restore and protect water quality. A summary of the key measures is set out in Table 8.1. Table 8.1  Summary of measures to deal with the main significant pressures on water quality from the third iteration of the National River Basin Management Plan (Water Action Plan 2024) 2022–2027 Sector/pressure Measure All pressures ■ Expansion of the Areas for Action programme, which builds further on the Priority Areas for Action programme managed by the Local Authority Waters Programme Agriculture ■ Strengthening of the Nitrates Action Programme and associated Good Agricultural Practice Regulations (S.I. No. 113/2022) to reduce nutrient pollution ■ Strengthening of measures in the CAP Strategic Plan to improve water quality, including conditionality, ecoschemes and the results-based Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme ■ Implementation of a national agricultural inspection plan overseen by the EPA and supported by new inspectors in local authorities ■ Commitment of €60 m to a Farming for Water EIP to support the implementation of targeted measures on farms to protect water quality Hydro- morphology ■ Introduction of a new legislative regime to manage the impacts of pressures on the physical condition of waters ■ Investment in the National Barriers Programme led by Inland Fisheries Ireland. ■ Improving fish migration in the Lower River Shannon (at the Parteen and Ardnacrusha dams) Forestry ■ Introduction of new support measures in the Forestry Programme 2023–2027 to protect water quality ■ Increase in the area of forest with appropriate water setbacks ■ Introduction of incentives to create new native forests to provide water services Urban waste water ■ Continued investment by Uisce Éireann in improvements to waste water infrastructure, prioritising waters where urban waste water is a significant pressure ■ Investment in new waste water infrastructure in villages not served by public waste water collection systems CAP, Common Agricultural Policy Source: DHLGH, 2024