Latest news with #BigRiverWatch
Irish Examiner
15-05-2025
- Climate
- Irish Examiner
Donal Hickey: Solution needed to combat worrying trend of river pollution
The prolonged dry spell has underlined the already perilous state of our many rivers and lakes which have been left with very low water levels. Risks of even more pollution have arisen because of the reduced capacity to dilute nutrients and chemicals entering water, also making it more dangerous for humans in contact with bathing water, or drinking water. Pollution, and a drop in oxygen levels, can also cause fish kills. Anglers report river water levels to be exceptionally shallow for May. A quick glance at the slow-flowing water reveals large amounts of stones exposed in riverbeds.[ 💧 Clare Local Development Company's Water Biodiversity Training Series kicks off tomorrow in Ennistymon! 🐟 🐟 Hands-on workshops exploring local waterways facilitated by @CorkNatNetwork trainers. 🚨 It's free but registration is essential: @ClareCoCo — Local Authority Waters Programme (@WatersProgramme) May 9, 2025 Ireland has more than 73,000 kilometres of river channels. Three-quarters of these channels are very small streams that typically flow into larger rivers. Traditionally, our waterways have been treated scandalously — little better than sewers in many cases. Industries were often located near rivers; while raw sewage continues to flow into some rivers in 2025. Getting people to respect waterways continues to be a challenge. Amazingly, river water quality in Ireland compares favourably to that in Europe, though we continue to see a worrying trend in the loss of our highest quality river sites and an increase in poor quality sites. In contrast to Britain, where only 15% of waterways in some areas are reported to be of good quality, half of our monitored locations are rated as being of 'good' and 'high' ecological status. Of the remaining half, almost one-fifth are classed 'poor' or 'bad' and are severely polluted. The EPA says excess nutrients cause the most ecological problems in Irish rivers. The quality of our most polluted rivers has improved where there has been better urban waste water treatment, and a reduction in nutrients, such as phosphorous and nitrogen, from agricultural lands. For almost 30 years, the Rivers Trust has been doing outstanding work, both here and in Britain, in observing and creating awareness of the state of waterways. Its Big River Watch empowers people to take an active role in protecting local rivers and providing valuable data for conservation efforts. Still time to register for our young people's discussions about water on 26th June. — The Water Forum - An Fóram Uisce (@AnForamUisce) May 7, 2025 The Trust has around 15 branches in Ireland, including some in Cork, covering the Lee and Cork Harbour area, the Bandon and Blackwater river catchments. It engages with local residents, farmers and others in practical work like clearing invasive species from riverbanks and flood management. For instance, 80% of invasive hogweed has been eradicated from a catchment of the River Maigue, in County Limerick. Says Barry McLaughlin, Donegal-based project manager with the Trust: 'Whether through direct observation, photography, or trail cameras, anyone can contribute to monitoring their local river. The more eyes on our waterways, the better we can protect them."
RTÉ News
24-04-2025
- Science
- RTÉ News
Volunteers wanted for annual survey of Irish rivers
The Rivers Trust is urging people from all over the island of Ireland to take part in their annual river survey. The Big River Watch Survey takes place from Friday 25 April to Thursday 1 May. Over that week, the trust is asking people to observe a local river, lough of stream and record their findings on their free app. The app will prompt the user to answer questions about what they can see and observe. No special knowledge is required. Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Joanna Braniff, all-Ireland advocacy and communications manager of The Rivers Trust, said that the survey should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. "There are loads of data gaps in river and waterbody knowledge throughout Ireland," Ms Braniff said. "We want to get a broader picture of our rivers," she added. Unlike in Britain, where there is live monitoring on many freshwater bodies, this is not the case in Ireland. The biodiversity crisis, as well as increased blue-green algae blooms and pollution incidents, means that the need for data on freshwater bodies is increasing, Ms Braniff has said. "There is a gap in the story right now and we're asking the public to step-up," Ms Braniff said. People can complete as many surveys as they like in the app in as many places along the same freshwater body or a different body. "You never step in the same river twice," Ms Braniff said. "A small pollution incident could only be visible for 15 minutes, so there is no upper limit on how many times even the one area could be surveyed." This is the third year the Big River Watch Survey is running in Ireland. The Rivers Trust is hoping for 250 data points to come from Ireland in this year's survey. Last year, there were around 200 from the island of Ireland and around 3,000 from Britain. The Big River Watch app can be downloaded on both Android and iOS. The app itself is always live so people can submit data to it year-round and all the data gathered from the survey is publicly available for anyone to use.
