Ms Ruth Hennessy:

I will answer some of the Deputy's questions about building on the information we have from the likes of the EPA models and the data that is there. LAWPRO was established specifically to answer the questions he is asking about trying to understand what is causing those water quality declines in particular catchments, whether it is agriculture or wastewater treatment, and trying to disentangle from the multitude of different things we see.

Our starting point in the catchment is always the water quality data that is available from the EPA monitoring programme and the models that are there. We take that information and build on it. We go out and do our own assessments. We have a team of catchment scientists and are working in 190 areas that have been established throughout the country. We go out into those catchments and do our own investigations and ecological assessments and look at the biology. We also take nutrient levels, look at nutrient flow conditions as well as oxygen and walk the different sections of the river.

We start from the monitoring points where we have information and look upstream at all the tributaries that are discharging into the main channel. We look above and below the likes of the town's wastewater treatment plants, collection systems and industry. In smaller rivers we look at the likes of septic tanks and things like that. That allows us to pinpoint with a greater level of confidence what the source of those problems might be, whether it is phosphorous, nitrogen, ammonia, sediment or anything else. We use a range of techniques to do that. As was stated, it is primarily boots on the ground, a presence in the catchment and revisiting the catchment over different conditions and seasons to build a clearer picture.

Once we identify the issue causing the water quality declines and the activities that are related to it, we refer that to the various Government agencies responsible for regulation. If it is a wastewater treatment plant or an industry, it would be the likes of the Environmental Protection Agency or a local authority. Where there are agricultural issues, we work with the agricultural sustainability support and advice programme. It will work farmers in those catchments to address the issues, such as phosporous losses or nitrates, that are causing the problems. We are specifically there to answer some of those questions.