A network of 25 environmental organisations has called on the Government to come up with an “effective plan” to address Ireland’s “escalating water pollution crisis”.
The Sustainable Water Network (SWAN) was responding to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) water quality 2016-2021 report, which was published late last week.
The report indicates that nearly half of rivers and lakes and two-thirds of estuaries are not as healthy or resilient as they should be.
An Taisce has described the EPA report as “profoundly alarming” and a “red alert for the state of Irish waters”.
The report states that 46% of surface waters are unhealthy, and estuaries are declining by 16% while coastal waters are declining 10%.
An Taisce natural environment officer Dr Elaine McGoff Photo: via Twitter
Nearly half of Irish rivers (43%), mostly in the south and southeast of the country, are below healthy levels for nitrogen, while nearly a third of rivers (30%) and a third of lakes (33%) are failing for phosphorus concentrations, SWAN notes.
“ Concentrations of nitrogen, in particular, has increased substantially across our rivers, and estuaries, with these declines, clearly coinciding with areas of increased intensive dairy farming,”it notes.
“Our water environment’s depleted state in turn lead to a loss of the wildlife that relies on a healthy water environment, such as our iconic salmon and much-loved kingfisher,” SWAN has said.
“This failure also has a negative impact on our own health: pollution regularly contaminates the water we source for drinking and that we swim in; while the waterscapes that have been so important for our wellbeing in the past three years are being allowed to languish and decline,”it says.
“The three-yearly EPA water quality report acts as a rigorous assessment of the government water management strategy,”SWAN says.
“The data published today clearly shows that this has failed to address the damaging impacts of agriculture, waste water, forestry, unregulated land drainage and river alterations. It therefore serves as both evidence and alarm-call that a change of approach is urgently needed,” it says.
SWAN says the government has a “golden opportunity” to fix this now, as it is currently finalising the 2022-2027 River Basin Management Plan.
“This is required under the EU Water Framework Directive to lay out how we will restore our inland and coastal waters to a healthy state by the mandatory deadline of 2027,”SWAN says.
“However, the plan in its draft form is much too weak, and is completely lacking in the ambition and targeted actions needed to tackle pollution,”it says.
An Taisce says agricultural activity, inadequate wastewater treatment, forestry processes, and activities such as land drainage and river alterations are the main causes of water quality decline.
“Concentrations of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus are far too high in many of our water bodies,” it says.
“Nearly a third of rivers and lakes have elevated phosphorus concentrations, and an alarming 39% of river sites had increasing concentrations of nitrogen,”it says, noting nitrogen pollution is most prevalent in the south and south-east due to the high levels of intensive farming on freely draining soils.
“While there have been some improvements in certain areas on foot of community or individual action, individuals alone cannot solve the water quality crisis,”An Taisce says.
“ Governments must stand up and be counted, it simply isn’t possible for individuals to solve this crisis without robust government support. Urgent and transformative steps are now necessary to stem the tide of water pollution,”it says.
An Taisce natural environment officer Dr Elaine McGoff said that water protection measures “have failed time and time again”.
“The Government has long been aware that many of their policies for agricultural expansion, forestry planting and clearfelling, and land drainage are at odds with their stated ambition to improve water quality,” she says.
“This is compounded by their failure to adequately address the shambles that is our water treatment infrastructure,” she adds.
“It’s time for a different approach - an honest approach,” Dr McGoff says.
“We cannot keep doing the same thing and acting surprised when we get the same result. The Government now has an opportunity to take a different approach in drafting their new River Basin Management Plan which could, and should chart a way towards healthier waterways,” she says.
“This Government has demonstrated time and again where their priorities lie, and it’s not with the environment,” Dr McGoff says.
“ Will they once again plan to fail to protect water quality, and capitulate to the demands of agribusiness, the forest industry and other vested interests, or will they step up and protect water quality for the common good?” she asks.
