Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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303. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the surveys being carried out under the Water Framework Directive in the south-east; the expected timeframe for surveys to be complete; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43190/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) is a shared service for the local authority sector. Working with State agencies, LAWPRO assists with the development and implementation of river basin management plans, which sets out the actions Ireland will take in order to improve the quality of our aquatic environment and meet the objectives of the EU Water Framework Directive.

As part of Ireland’s second River Basin Management Plan, 190 Priority Areas for Action (PAA) were identified around which LAWPRO’s work is concentrated. These are catchment areas that have been prioritised for focussed scientific assessment to understand the issues affecting water quality. Working with local communities, landowners, business owners and public bodies, LAWPRO then seeks to develop relevant and workable solutions to identified issues. There are 44 PAA’s in the South East region (Laois, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford, Waterford, Tipperary, some overlap into Wicklow, Offaly and Limerick). 

The first step of LAWPRO’s work in a PAA, is to improve the scientific understanding by gathering and collating all relevant and available data into a Desktop Study Report.  This ensures there is a focus on the issues that are significantly affecting water quality and the mitigation actions that should prioritised. 

Another important aspect of LAWPRO’s work in the PAA’s is informing and working with local communities. Following their desktop studies and prior to commencing their fieldwork assessments, LAWPRO organises a community information meeting to discuss the water body with local people and interest groups. Local meetings are followed by farmer engagement events organised by advisors from the collaborative Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme, with the support of LAWPRO staff. Work to this stage has been completed for 34 of the PAA’s in the South East region.

Using this and other scientific information, LAWPRO catchment scientists then begin their fieldwork, walking the riverbanks and taking water samples to assess the condition of the river. Once the fieldwork is concluded and analysed, LAWPRO discuss the outcome of the assessment with the relevant implementing bodies or landowners, agreeing timelines for implementation of measures to improve water quality. The advisors from the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme will discuss any agricultural measures with the farmers. 

Noting the impact of the COVID emergency on their work, particularly the community meetings and fieldwork elements, to date LAWPRO have completed 11 overall assessments, with fieldwork in 18 PAA’s currently ongoing.

A summary of the PAA’s in the South East Regions is outlined below, with further information available on LAWPRO’s website at awaters.ie/priority-areas-for-action/. Additional information on water quality and the status of waters can also be viewed on www.catchments.ie.

As key commitment in the Programme for Government, my Department is currently preparing a new strengthened River Basin Management Plan for Ireland, to cover the period 2022 – 2027. Further advancing Ireland’s commitment to the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, the new plan will build on the work of the second-cycle, again describing the main pressures and activities affecting water status and setting out the environmental objectives to be achieved up to 2027. The plan will also identify the measures needed to achieve these objectives, including a proposed expansion of the Areas for Action.

A draft plan is due to be published shortly for a 6 month public consultation, so I would urge everyone to please engage in this process once the consultation is launched.

PAA Progress Summary for the South East Region: