The majority of rivers in Ireland scored a rating of “good or high” ecological status between 2016 to 2021, according to a new report published today (Wednesday, August 23).
Around 51% of river water bodies were designated to have a “good or high ecological status” in this period.
But the new report from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) also shows that there was a “decrease in the overall condition” of river ecosystems in Ireland between 2010 to 2015 and 2016 to 2021.
The CSO’s Ecosystem Condition Accounts report – which specifically looked at the period 2016 to 2021 – highlights that the total number of rivers in good or high ecological status fell by 9% over the period.
It underlines that 49% of rivers were in moderate, poor or bad ecological status.
The report also details that while 48% of lakes were in good or high ecological status in the 2016 to 2021 assessment period, more – 52% – were in moderate, poor or bad ecological status.
Nova Sharkey, statistician in the CSO ecosystem accounts division, said: “This means that around half of our river and lake ecosystems failed to reach the objectives set out in the Water Framework Directive.
“Only river and lake ecosystems in good condition can provide us with a full suite of ecosystem services, including clean water for drinking, habitats for biodiversity, flood protection, and cultural and recreational services.”
The CSO used data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to compare the assessment periods 2010 to 2015 and 2016 to 2021 – which corresponded to the first and second cycles of the national River Basin Management Plans.
It found that counties Cork (73%), Leitrim (72%), and Wicklow (71%) had the highest proportion of rivers in good or high ecological status in the period under review while counties Louth (20%), Dublin (21%), and Kildare (21%) had the lowest proportion.
Sharkey added: “For river water bodies, the Upper Shannon in the Athlone region, was the catchment with the largest negative percentage change in number of water bodies in good or high ecological status, going from 40% to 10%, a 75% decrease”.
The report showed that there was a small improvement in the overall condition of lake ecosystems between the EPA’s 2010-2015 and 2016-2021 assessment periods, with a 4% increase in the number of lake water bodies in good or high ecological status.
The areas with the highest percentage of lakes that scored a high ecological status between 2016 to 2021, according to the CSO, were Galway Bay North and Dunmanus-Bantry-Kenmare (both at 50%).
Meanwhile, a number of areas were identified that had at least one lake that scored a bad ecological status between 2016 to 2021. These included; Erne, Erriff-Clew Bay, Sligo Bay and Drowse, Mal Bay, Lower Shannon and Lough Swilly.