‘Water Action Plan 2024’ will improve water quality and restore our rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal waters and ground waters.
An additional 300 waterbodies will achieve ‘good’ status by 2027, with targeted measures to improve over 500 more.
Plan will see multi-billion Euro investment in wastewater infrastructure and a focus on compliance and enforcement.
Community Water Development Fund for 2025 will provide financial supports to local projects and initiatives.
The national media descended on Grennan Mill in Thomastown today for the launch of the ‘Water Action Plan 2024’. The Plan sets out a roadmap to restore Ireland’s waterbodies to ‘good’ status or better, and to protect them against further deterioration right up to 2027. With coordinated implementation through a new Programme Delivery Office, along with more than 60 new enforcement staff, the plan will also see continued investment in wastewater infrastructure, with Uisce Éireann investing a multi-billion Euro budget over the period 2025-2029 to reduce impacts on water quality.
It’s long past time we cleaned up Ireland’s waterways, and plans under previous governments have unfortunately not achieved the results we need. This new Water Action Plan has three broad aims: to prevent and reduce water pollution; to restore natural ecosystems and let more of our rivers run free; and crucially to continue to invest heavily in water infrastructure. With better governance structures, clear accountability, a focus on compliance and enforcement and a stronger evidence base for actions that tackle the right problems in the right places, I believe this plan will deliver results.
Crucially, this plan also puts communities at the heart of the action, empowering local people to understand the challenges in their area and get involved in solving them, so today we’re also announcing the Community Water Development Fund for 2025. Administered by our Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO), with funding from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, this scheme supports local communities and groups to develop and deliver projects and initiatives that will enhance their local water bodies to benefit water quality and biodiversity.
In that regard, the location of our launch today couldn’t have been more perfect. There’s a passionate, knowledgeable and dedicated community in Thomastown that has this river at its heart and is already doing so much to protect and restore it. They give me hope that together we can take the action we need.
Our new Green Party leader, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth of Ireland, Roderic O’Gorman, was with me at Grennan Mill today, where he told the assembled media, locals and stakeholders:
“The Water Action Plan 2024 delivers on an important commitment in the Programme for Government. Clean water, whether in our taps or in our rivers and lakes, is not a given. We have to protect, restore and invest in it, and that’s what the Government is doing with this plan.
“Minister Noonan has led from the front on this plan, and I know how deeply passionate he is about improving Ireland’s water quality and the ecological health of our rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters. I also know he has a particular grá for the River Nore, and coming over the bridge in Thomastown today I can see why. It’s a beautiful river and an incredible amenity for the community here, for fishing, kayaking, swimming and more. Places like this bring home the importance of delivering on the Water Action Plan, here and across the country.With our growing population and rapidly changing climate, it’s vital we take action now - with this plan, everyone can put their shoulder to the wheel to protect the vulnerable water resources that we all depend on.”
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