Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

206 Chapter 8: Water Ireland’s waste water collecting systems include an estimated 2447 storm water overflow outlets; however, Uisce Éireann does not have sufficient information on discharges from these storm water overflows (EPA, 2023b). To address this information gap, Uisce Éireann is assessing all storm water overflows against national standards and is installing equipment to monitor overflow events. The information gathered from this work will provide greater clarity on storm water overflows and their impact and support prioritisation of action to mitigate their discharge risk. At the end of the period 2020–2024, Uisce Éireann will have invested €5.35 billion in improving the water services infrastructure, with 42% of this spending on collection and treatment of waste water. 11 The number of water bodies impacted by urban waste water is reducing and the investment is delivering improvements in water quality; however, treatment in many areas is still not as good as it needs to be. It will take multi-billion euro investment and at least two decades to bring all waste water collection and treatment systems up to standard (EPA, 2023b). Measures to address other pressures A range of other pressures impact water quality, including domestic waste water treatment systems, urban run-off and industry. All of them need to be addressed in order to achieve our water quality objectives. Further information on all the measures to address these pressures is set out in the Water Action Plan. Management of hazardous substances A wide range of legislation is in place to reduce the effects of chemicals on the environment and human health. Measures to improve the management of the life cycle of chemicals will reduce the effects of chemicals in use now and will seek to ensure that chemicals produced in the future do not have negative effects on human health or the environment (see Chapter 14). 11 www.water.ie/sites/default/files/projects/strategic-plans/capital-investment-plan/Capital-Investment-Plan-2020-2024-Explanatory- Booklet.pdf (accessed 3 July 2024). Phasing out the burning of fossil fuels and developing safer manufacturing processes will halt emissions of mercury, PAHs and PDBEs over time. In Ireland, tighter controls on the use of cypermethrin and MCPA, replacement of hazardous PFASs and the remediation of PFAS-contaminated sites will reduce the risks from these substances. Remedial measures have been successful in preventing the exceedance of MCPA thresholds in water supplies by bringing relevant stakeholders and local catchment groups together to promote responsible pesticide use and resolve the issues at source. Increased monitoring of these substances by the EPA in recent years has improved our knowledge of the sources and prevalence of hazardous chemicals in the aquatic environment. Continued vigilance, regular risk assessments and appropriate mitigation measures will be required to protect Irish waters from hazardous chemical substances. Improved governance A three-tiered structure was created during the second cycle of the RBMP to improve governance and implementation. While the structure has significantly improved collaboration between stakeholders and implementing bodies, particularly at the local and regional levels, there were still issues with overall ownership of the plan, the accountability of implementing bodies, and the tracking of the progress of measures and of the overall plan. The management of water quality is by its nature the responsibility of a range of different agencies and bodies. Good governance arrangements are essential to deliver on the commitments made in the Water Action Plan and to ensure accountability for delivering water quality objectives. EPA-funded research by the Institute of Public Administration, Water Governance in Ireland: Towards the Third-Cycle River Basin Management Plan, 2022–2027 (IPA, 2021), included recommendations for building on and improving the governance arrangements in areas such as the functioning of the three tiers, clarity of institutional roles and capacity building. The research also highlighted the need for improved data gathering on measures being implemented so that their effectiveness and overall progress in delivering water quality objectives can be assessed. It is essential that these recommendations are implemented and, in particular, that tracking the progress of the overall plan and the implementation of measures is improved and the information is made publicly available.