Early insights indicator report: Nitrogen concentrations in selected major rivers, January-June 2026
Water Quality Insights Report Bulletin Vol 5, September 2026
Summary: The purpose of this report is to provide an early insight into nitrogen concentrations in major rivers in Ireland, in advance of the more comprehensive annual water quality assessments.
Since 2024, Early Insights reports have been published every six months to provide an update on nitrogen levels in Ireland’s major rivers. They use the latest available data from 20 representative monitoring sites located on these rivers, providing an early indication of national trends in nitrogen levels.
The six‑month indicator allows nitrogen levels to be assessed before a full year of monitoring data is available. The first Early Insights report1 includes an assessment of how well the representative monitoring sites reflect the wider EPA monitoring network.
This report presents nitrogen concentration data from January to June 2026 and compares the results with the same six‑month period in previous years.