The Water Framework Directive, Directive 2000/60/EC, was adopted in 2000 as a single piece of legislation covering rivers, lakes, groundwater and transitional (estuarine) and coastal waters and includes heavily modified and artificial waterbodies. Its objectives are to prevent further deterioration of and to protect, enhance and restore the status of all bodies of water with the aim of achieving at least good status by 2015.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was tasked with developing classification systems and Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) for the purpose of assessing the status of surface waters in Ireland. The EPA issued an initial discussion document on classification systems and standards. Comments received and ongoing discussion about classification and standards at European level led to a revised discussion document and a subsequent set of regulations which has been published by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DEHLG) on 24 July 2009:
SI No 272 of 2009 - European Communities Environmental Objectives (Surface Water) Regulations
This document institutes a wide-ranging set of standards for Irish surface waters. Available from the website of DEHLG: www.environ.ie.
A further significant piece of legislation subsequently introduced is the Environmental Objectives (Groundwater) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 9 of 2010). These regulations establish environmental objectives to be achieved in groundwater bodies, groundwater quality standards and threshold values for the classification of groundwater and the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration in groundwater quality.
The surface water regulations and groundwater regulations can be downloaded from the website of DEHLG (www.environ.ie).
The EPA is obliged to examine the terms of all relevant existing IPPC and Waste licences with a view to determining whether they address the obligations laid down in the above Environmental Objectives (Surface Waters) and Environmental Objectives (Groundwater) Regulations. The Agency must declare if licences are compliant or technically amend/review licences by 22nd December 2012. Further information can be obtained in the Licensing and Permitting section of this website.
