EPA says nitrogen concentrations in waters have fallen in the first half of 2024
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At last, some encouraging news about water quality in Ireland, specifically preliminary findings by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that nitrogen concentrations in waters nationally seem to have reduced in the first half of 2024 relative to other years, and that they are at the lowest levels seen since 2016.
Published in advance of a full annual water quality assessment next June, the EPA says these results from 20 monitoring sites on the major rivers are a useful early indication of the likely national picture over the full year.
Successive EPA reports in recent years identified that nitrate concentrations are too high in the East, South-East and South, and reductions are required in “areas of concern”.
The newly revealed trajectory of change is similar both within the areas of concern and other areas such as the West and North West, where nitrate concentrates are less of a concern.
However, there remains a marked difference in the absolute nitrate concentrations between these two groups of sites, which reflects the differences in farm practices, soil types and climate conditions in these regions.
The EPA's early insights indicator report offers early six-month insights into nitrogen concentrations in major rivers. The latest edition includes data for January to June 2024 inclusive, and comparisons are made with the same period in previous years.
Included is data from Munster's Bandon, Lee, Blackwater, Suir, Maigue, Fergus, Shannon, and Deel rivers.
Data also came from the Nore, Barrow, Slaney, Avoca, Liffey, Dee, White, Foyle, Erne, Garavogue, Moy, and Corrib.
The average for all 20 rivers monitored is down from just under 10 milligrams of nitrate per litre of water in 2023 to nine milligrams (from 14mg to under 12mg in catchments of concern, and from just over 4mg to just under 4mg in other catchments).
The results come from the most downstream monitored sites in the 20 river systems before they enter the sea. These sites (chosen from more than 1,500 Nitrates Directive Monitoring sites) were selected because they are monitored every month, they capture the majority of the national nitrogen load flowing to the sea, and the relatively small number of sites selected facilitates procedures for the EPA's early insights indicator report.
The next six-monthly early insight indicator will be published in the first quarter of 2025.
The new findings for the first half of 2024 offer encouragement for those involved in the increased focus on water quality across the agri-food sector in recent years.
Irish water quality needs to improve in order to meet the Water Framework Directive target and maintain Ireland's Nitrates Derogation.
Farmers have been and are making great strides in implementing actions to improve water quality, and the government has provided strong incentives to support this work, which is underpinned by science.
