No change in the pollution status of Irish waterbodies 

The EPA have today released their Water Quality in 2025: An Indicators Report which shows that our waters have continued to be polluted by human activity, and that we have not made any significant overall improvements in water quality for 2025. This follows a decade-long decline in water quality in Ireland. 

While there were some welcome improvements in certain areas, these were overshadowed by decreases in other areas, and there is no evidence that nutrient levels are falling over the longer term.  

Of particular concern is the finding that we have lost a quarter of our cleanest rivers since the 2010-2012 period. These are the best of the best river sites, supporting some of our most iconic species like Salmon and Freshwater Pearl Mussel, and once polluted the ecology of these sites is difficult to recover.  

Nutrient pollution was identified as the main driver of the decline, with 43% of our rivers having too much nitrogen. Nitrogen pollution is primarily attributable to intensive agriculture, which is a particular problem on free draining soils in the south and east. Urban wastewater and agriculture are also significant sources of phosphorus pollution. 
 
Dr. Elaine McGoff, Head of Advocacy with An Taisce said: 

“Another year, another worrying EPA water quality report, once again highlighting a lack of improvement in water quality in Ireland.  

Farmers are jumping through a number of environmental hoops, but the measures they’re being asked to put in place don't work for all pollutants, and by and large they’re not designed for addressing nitrogen pollution. 

So the fact that agricultural nitrogen pollution didn’t improve in the south and southeast of the country should come as no surprise to anyone. Despite all the talk about turning the tide on water quality in Ireland, there is still no evidence of the necessary improvement across the board in our waters.  

Until we implement evidence- based measures to address that we’re only fooling ourselves if we think the water quality trends are going to dramatically improve. 

Combine that with entirely avoidable pollution from malfunctioning urban wastewater treatment plants, and it’s really not a good news story for our rivers, lakes and seas.  

We now need an honest appraisal of how we’re managing our waters, our land and our wastewater.  We can’t keep doing largely the same thing and expecting a different outcome.”