While the percentage of groundwater bodies and coastal water bodies in satisfactory quality is well above the European average, our rivers, lakes and estuaries are not doing as well. Only 53 per cent of rivers, 50.5 per cent of lakes and 38 per cent of estuaries are in satisfactory ecological health. Furthermore, while there have been some improvements, overall surface water quality has declined by 4.4 per cent since 2015. Most of this decline is driven by the deterioration in river water quality.
The pressures causing this level of deterioration need to be addressed. This can be done by implementing the measures identified in Ireland’s national river basin management plan and by using existing knowledge to ensure that the right measure is being applied in the right place.
- Rivers
- Lakes
- Groundwater
- Transitional (estaurine) and coastal waters
- Ireland's marine environment
- European trends