Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

209 Chapter 8: Water Climate adaptation and water resilience The effects of climate change on Ireland’s water resources will be wide-ranging and will create both acute and chronic challenges. The coastal waters around Ireland are projected to continue warming, and ocean acidity is expected to increase. Increased water temperatures will lead to additional in-channel vegetation growth, reduced oxygen availability, reduced aquatic habitat diversity and thermal stress to aquatic species. Changes in precipitation are expected to contribute to an increase in the frequency of flooding and drought events. This will affect water availability, as well as increasing run-off of pollutants from land and surface and sewer flooding, leading to pollution. The effects of climate change are already being felt in Ireland. Monitoring records show increases in intense precipitation events, average river flows and sea level rise, highlighting the need to plan for and adapt to climate change. Achieving our water quality objectives is a key measure to ensure the resilience of our water bodies and protect them against climate change impacts. The Water Quality and Water Services Infrastructure Sectoral Adaptation Plan (Water SAP) (DHPLG, 2019) is the primary adaptation tool for the water sector. A separate SAP was published for flood risk management. The Water SAP outlines the risks to the water sector and the potential adaptive measures needed to address these risks. A key measure highlighted in the Water SAP is the integrated catchment management approach that has been adopted in Ireland to manage water resources and address water quality issues. Progress on the implementation of adaptation policy and increasing resilience under the Water SAP was given an overall rating of ‘moderate’ by the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC, 2023). Its report found limited evidence of mainstreaming adaptation across departments, local authorities and agencies. 16 www.water.ie/projects/strategic-plans/national-water-resources/# (accessed 24 June 2024). Uisce Éireann has developed a National Water Resources Plan, 16 which is a strategic approach aimed at future- proofing public water supply over the next 25 years to address climate change impacts and other challenges, such as population growth and emerging contaminants. A second iteration of the Water SAP is due to be completed in 2025, and it is essential that a more effective assessment of the risks and adaptation measures needed is undertaken and implemented and that national plans such as the Ireland’s Water Action Plan and Uisce Éireann’s National Water Resources Plan are fully aligned with the Water SAP. Further detail on climate change risks and on national mitigation and adaptation approaches is available in Chapter 4. Water research and innovation Since the launch of its 10-year research framework (EPA, 2021), the EPA has committed over €4.3 million to projects under the research hub ‘Protecting and Restoring our Natural Environment’ (EPA, 2023c). Examples of ongoing projects funded by EPA Research to address these thematic areas include: ■ HymoGuide – developing guidance for regulatory standards for hydromorphology ■ HydroGen – integrating DNA-based assessment tools into water quality and biodiversity monitoring ■ GRADS & SMARTS – sustainable management of groundwater resources ■ AquaCop – using remote sensing products for monitoring transitional and coastal waters ■ WFDFutureS – supporting a long-term project to research future climate and demographic scenarios and management tools for the WFD. Several project teams co-funded by the Irish government and the EU are working with local stakeholders to improve water quality in their catchments, including on a number of EU co-funded EIP projects.