/ blog / Third of Irish rivers and a quarter of lakes fail water quality standards
Third of Irish rivers and a quarter of lakes fail water quality standards
Third of Irish rivers and a quarter of lakes fail water quality standards
More than a third of Irish rivers and a quarter of lakes are failing to meet environmental quality standards due to high levels of polluting nitrates and phosphates, according to a new assessment. The Environmental Protection Agency’s report for 2019 finds that more than a fifth of groundwater, which is a critical source of drinking water, has high nitrate concentrations, as does a fifth of estuarine and coastal water bodies. Just over half of rivers and lakes have high or good biological quality.
The main threat to water quality is the presence of too many nutrients in the form of phosphates and nitrates arising from agriculture and waste-water discharges. “Nutrient concentrations in waters are too high and the trends are going in the wrong direction,” the EPA’s Water Quality Indicators report finds.
The main threat to water quality is the presence of too much nutrients in the form of phosphates and nitrates, which come primarily from agriculture and waste water.
Nitrate concentrations are increasing in nearly half of river and groundwater sites, while phosphate levels are increasing in a quarter of river sites. The rivers surveyed last year, however, “have shown more improvements than declines overall, which is welcome”, the report adds. “However, further action is needed to return waters to a satisfactory condition.”