Date released: July 02, 2025
2nd July 2025: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published the full monitoring network results of the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in Irish waters in 2024.
The Water Quality Monitoring Report on Nitrogen and Phosphorus Concentrations in Irish Waters 2024 is an annual report which provides an update on the results of water quality monitoring to support the assessment of the impact of the nitrates derogation on Irish waters, as required under Regulation 37 of the European Union (Good Agricultural Practices for the Protection of Waters) (Amendment) Regulations.
The assessment incorporates data from over 1500 monitoring stations from the national monitoring network which are representative of the impacts of agriculture on water quality in our rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal waters and groundwaters.
The analysis shows that, overall, nitrogen levels in rivers have reduced nationally in 2024 compared to 2023, which is consistent with the recently published Early Insights report. There has also been a reduction in groundwater nitrate concentrations in the southeast of the country, although there has been little change in groundwater levels overall nationally. The number of estuarine and coastal waterbodies with unsatisfactory nitrogen levels has however slightly increased by three. Groundwaters, estuaries and coastal waters can take longer to respond to changes in land use practices than rivers and this is reflected in the data.
Overall, phosphorus concentrations have not changed significantly in 2024 compared to 2023 and remain elevated in localised areas associated with poorly draining soils.
Nutrient pollution from agriculture is a key issue impacting water quality. Significant actions are underway by the sector to reduce nutrient losses. Ongoing and sustained actions will be needed to reduce nutrients to satisfactory levels before the ecological health of our waters will improve.
Further information on local water quality and targeting agricultural measures is available here.
ENDS
Further information: EPA Media Relations Office 053-9170770 (24 hours) or media@epa.ie
Notes to Editor
EPA Reporting: The EPA undertakes a full assessment of the overall quality and ecological status of Ireland’s waters every three years. The latest full assessment was published in October 2022 and can be found on the EPA website. The next full assessment for the period 2019 – 2024 will be published in Q4 2025.
In the intervening years, the EPA reports on the indicators of water quality to provide an update on trends in the biological quality and nutrient levels of our water bodies. The latest Water Indicators Report for 2023 provides an update on the water quality of Ireland’s rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal, and groundwaters using monitoring data collected in the 2023 period. The next annual Water Indicators report is due in mid-2026. Water Indicator reports are not published in the years when a Water Quality in Ireland Report is due.
The Early Insights Nitrogen Indicator Report has been developed to publish nitrogen data for 20 representative sites on our major rivers. The report is published every 6 months to provide a preliminary insight into nitrogen levels nationally.
This report is an annual report on nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations for all waterbody types across the full monitoring network. The report incorporates data from over 1000 stations where there are nutrient impacts to water quality from agriculture.
Water Body: A water body is an area of water, which is usually either the whole or part of a lake or coastal water, or a section of a river or an estuary (e.g. Lough Ree is one water body whereas the River Lee is divided into nine water bodies for monitoring purposes).
Nitrate: Nitrate is a form of nitrogen which is a nutrient and essential for plant growth. Too much nitrogen in a water body can lead to the over-growth of plants and algae that outcompete and displace other flora and fauna. This excessive growth can also cause oxygen depletion and damage the ecology of our water bodies. Our estuaries and coastal waters are particularly sensitive to high nitrogen concentrations. The main source of excess nitrate in the environment is agriculture, with wastewater also contributing. Nitrate concentrations above the Drinking Water Standard can pose a risk to human health, particularly for young children.
Phosphorus: Phosphorus is a nutrient which is essential for plant growth. As with nitrogen, too much phosphorus in a water body can lead to the over-growth of plants and algae which disturb the ecosystem. Excess phosphorus is a particular concern for the ecological health of rivers and lakes. The main sources of excess phosphorus in the environment are agriculture and wastewater.
Pressures impacting on waters: The EPA has published a series of reports on the main pressures impacting on waters which are available at Update on pressures impacting on water quality | Environmental Protection Agency (epa.ie) and https://www.catchments.ie/significant-pressures/. Catchment level information on water quality is available at https://www.catchments.ie/wfd-cycle-3-catchment-assessments-published-by-the-epa/
River Basin Management Plan: The River Basin Management Plan sets out the national policy and actions that are being taken by all sectors to improve and protect water quality. Further information about the National River Basin Management Plan is available on the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage website.
www.catchments.ie: A collaborative EPA, LAWPRO and Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage website that is used