The largest single raised bog restoration project ever undertaken in Ireland
12 of Ireland’s unique raised bog SAC’s in seven counties will be brought back to life between 2016 – 2021, with additional works being undertaken on a further two bogs.
Restoration work on these Natura 2000 sites will improve over 2,600 hectares of threatened raised bog habitat – the equivalent of over 7,000 Croke Parks and 18% of the national high bog area.
It is estimated there has been a 99% loss of the original area of actively growing raised bog in Ireland’s mnidlands. What little remains is in need of restoration and conservation.
GIS files were available on the EPA SAFER website, but long appear available
Shp files courtesy of @mapalljohn
“It is probably the best current estimation of peatland extent … though it is not without it’s limitation – Accuracy assessment was quite good at 86% but it is quite coarse resolution and does not capture the boundaries of peatlands well”
This is a point dataset of the waste water treatment plants in agglomerations (towns/cities) with a population equivalent of over 500 during 2006, 2007 and 2008, and were reported on and assessed for compliance under The Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations, 2001 (S.I. No. 254 of 2001) and 2004 (S.I. 440 of 2004).
Water quality results for bathing areas and beaches in Co. Wicklow.
Wicklow County Council monitors bathing areas along its coastline during the bathing season, which runs from 1 June to 15 September each year.
There are six bathing waters identified under the Bathing Water Regulations 2008. These are Bray South Promenade, Greystones South Beach, Silver Strand, Brittas Bay North Beach, Brittas South Beach and Clogga Beach.
The Council also monitors six other bathing waters (termed ‘non-identified bathing waters’) in the county: South of Bray Harbour, Kilcoole Beach, The Murrough Wicklow, Wicklow Harbour Bathing Area, Wicklow Harbour Lifeboat Area and Arklow South Beach.
On occasion, warning notices may be issued advising against bathing at bathing waters where the local authority, in consultation with the Health Service Executive, has reason to believe that the water quality may be insufficient and present an increased risk to bathers health. Such notices will be published here and on the EPA beaches website in the case of the six identified bathing waters.
Sampling for water quality takes place throughout the summer from May to September.
The most recent results of samples taken are also shown here.
Dublin City Council monitors bathing water quality at its two designated bathing waters namely Dollymount and Sandymount Strands.
Monitoring is also carried out at non-designated bathing waters including Merrion Strand, Shelly Banks, Half Moon and North Bull Wall.
Dublin City Council is responsible for monitoring bathing water quality at its two designated bathing waters namely; Dollymount and Sandymount. Merrion Strand was declassified as a designated bathing water from the 1st June 2020.
The bathing season is from 1st June to September 15th each year, with pre-season sampling commencing in mid-May.
In addition, Dublin City Council also undertakes water quality monitoring at undesignated bathing areas, namely; Merrion Strand, Shelley Banks beach, the South Bull Wall at the Half Moon Swimming Club, as well as the North Bull Wall.
At least twenty samples are taken from each location during the bathing season.
Dublin City Council monitor water quality throughout the year, outside of the bathing season on a fortnightly basis.
Assessment of water quality involves analysis of two types of bacteria (E coli and Intestinal Enterococci) which may be present in the water. These bacteria are indicators of water quality.
The results are categorised in accordance with Bathing Water Regulations, 2008. Bathing water quality is classified as ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘sufficient’ or ‘poor’ and these classifications are based on the concentrations of the two bacteria species detected in samples of bathing water.
Temporary Bathing Prohibitions, Advisory and Prior Warning Notices
To protect bather health, it may be necessary to advise against or prohibit bathing at Dublin City Council’s bathing areas.
Bathing water quality is particularly impacted by weather conditions, with factors such as rainfall amount and intensity, temperature, sunlight and tidal conditions being the main influences.
Faecal matter from dogs and birds on a beach can significantly impact on water quality as can temporary overflows from urban drainage infrastructure.
Additionally, if Dublin City Council receives information which indicates a risk of deterioration in bathing water quality, a precautionary advisory or prohibition notice may be issued.
Examples of such include a prediction of an extreme weather event or an exceedance/non-compliance from the Wastewater Treatment Works (i.e. effluent quality fails to meet the conditions of discharge as set out in the Wastewater Discharge Licence issued by the EPA for the Works).
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Health Service Executive (HSE) have established a protocol outlining various recommended actions to be taken by local authorities where, levels of bacteria in the bathing water exceed the satisfactory standard.
In such circumstances, the local authority consults with the HSE in the first instance before proceeding with an agreed action. The public are informed of the short term pollution event through social media, web notifications and by erecting temporary signage at the locations affected.
The website www.beaches.ie shares the latest information on national bathing water quality. Swim restrictions and annual water quality ratings can be found here.
In addition, Dublin City Council operates a series of electronic signs on Dollymount and Sandymount Strands which notify the public when it is unsafe to swim. Once the event has passed and water quality returned to a satisfactory standard, the public are immediately informed
This report aims to update our knowledge of water stress (a general term that includes drought and water scarcity) in Europe to inform policymakers and interested stakeholders about the current state of play
Waterbase is the generic name given to the EEA’s databases on the status and quality of Europe’s rivers, lakes, groundwater bodies and transitional, coastal and marine waters, on the quantity of Europe’s water resources, and on the emissions to surface waters from point and diffuse sources of pollution.
Waterbase – Water Quality ICM (4 tables)
The dataset contains time series of nutrients, organic matter, hazardous substances and other chemicals in rivers, lakes, groundwater, transitional, coastal and marine waters.
A list of spatial object identifiers with selected attributes, reported through WFD and WISE Spatial data reporting, is added to dataset as spatial reference. The data has been compiled and processed by EEA
Waterbase – Water Quality ICM – Part 1 (CSV files) Download file
Waterbase – Water Quality ICM – Part 1 (SQLite file) Download file
Waterbase – Water Quality ICM – Part 2 (CSV files) Download file
Waterbase – Water Quality ICM – Part 2 (SQLite file) Download file
