Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

345 Chapter 13: Environment and Industry Other relevant pollutants are heavy metals such as arsenic, copper, nickel and zinc, which can also have detrimental impacts on human and environmental health. Emerging and trace pollutants such as persistent pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, microplastics, trace organics and residues present a potentially serious threat from industry to human health and ecosystems. A review of the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) in 2022 identified 25 new priority substances in waters, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (discussed in Chapter 14), bisphenol A and various veterinary pharmaceuticals. The revised IED will ensure that permit requirements related to these substances (and other emerging pollutants) are better controlled and more integrated. The implementation of the revised IED is projected to result in a 10-30% reduction in some of these substances from IED installations. 16 With the exception of emissions of some metals, direct releases from industry are minor compared with discharges from urban waste water treatment plants (EPA, 2020). There has been a significant decrease in emissions of metals to water (Figure 13.7) from industry in the past 15 years, which reflects the more stringent requirements resulting from reviews of licence conditions and emission limit values undertaken by the EPA. These requirements arose from the EPA-initiated licence reviews of 87 industrial licences, which reduced limits to ensure compliance with standards by 2015. Large improvements from the mining sector accounted for most of the significant decreases. Figure 13.7  Heavy metal releases to water from industry, 2007-2022 0 5 10 15 20 25 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 Heavy Metal Releases (tonne per annum) Year 16 environment.ec.europa.eu/document/download/a5e95ed4-88d6-4222-a3fa-8e2f17f0b2e1_en?filename=Staff%20Working%20 Document%20-%20Impact%20Assessment%20Report%20accompanying%20the%20Proposal_0.pdf (accessed 15 July 2024). Groundwater. Direct emissions to groundwater are prohibited under the European Communities Environmental Objectives (Groundwater) Regulations 2010 (S.I. No. 9/2010) and 2022 (S.I. No. 287/2022), and no industry in Ireland is licensed to have direct discharges to groundwater. Many industrial facilities are required to monitor and report on the quality of groundwater beneath their installations. Although industry is not a significant source of surface water or groundwater pollution in Ireland, there have been historical and accidental industry releases to groundwater that have caused groundwater quality issues that continue to be assessed and remediated. Regarding groundwater contamination from industry, the parameters of concern tend to be associated with historical unlined landfills, hydrocarbons from the spillage of fuel and other oils, and industrial chemicals such as halocarbons. Compared with surface water pollution, groundwater pollution is often harder to detect, and it is also more difficult to fully understand the extent and nature of contamination. Many of the groundwater pollution issues associated with industry can persist for many years and intervention may be required to return groundwater quality to a satisfactory status. The Water Framework Directive requires all Member States to protect and improve water quality in all waters (see Chapter 8). The impact of emissions from industry from nine different sectors (Figure 13.8) are recorded as ‘significant pressures’ in water catchment assessments.