Thurles Information

There has been a welcome reduction in nitrogen levels in rivers in 2024, says Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

• Early Insights Nitrogen Indicator for 2024, published by the EPA, shows that nitrogen levels in rivers have reduced in 2024.
• Despite the reduction, nitrogen remains too high in the southeastern half of the country and further reductions will be needed to bring them to satisfactory levels.
• Agriculture is the primary source of nitrogen in our waters. Significant actions are underway by the sector to reduce nitrogen losses.
• Ongoing and sustained actions will be needed to reduce nutrient levels so that the ecological health of our waters can improve.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published early insights into nitrogen levels in rivers in 2024. The Early Insights Nitrogen Indicator 2024 has been developed to provide more timely information on nitrogen levels and is based on monitoring data at 20 major and representative rivers. Overall, the early insights indicator shows that nitrogen levels have improved in 2024. However, nitrogen remains too high in the southeastern half of the country. Agriculture is the primary source of nitrogen in these areas.

Commenting on the report, Dr Eimear Cotter, Director of the EPA’s Office of Evidence and Assessment, said: “The EPA continually strives to produce timely information and evidence on Ireland’s environment. Specifically, this publication responds to a need for early insights into trends in nitrogen levels. Agriculture is the primary source of nitrogen in Irish rivers and there is significant action underway within the sector to improve water quality. It is therefore very welcome to see these early signs of improvement. It is important that the sector builds on this momentum and continues to implement actions to reduce nutrient losses in a targeted way.”

The EPA will publish its three-yearly assessment of water quality in Ireland, for the period 2019 – 2024, later in 2025. This future report will combine data on nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in waterbodies, with the biological quality monitoring data on fish, aquatic insects and plants, to give a comprehensive assessment of the ecological health of all waters.

Ms Jenny Deakin, EPA Programme Manager, added: “It is very positive to see this improvement in nitrogen levels in 2024, following a period of little positive change in recent years. However, nitrogen levels remain too high in the southeastern half of the country. Further actions will be necessary to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus losses to levels which will support good ecological health in our water bodies. The ecology will not improve until nutrient levels are reduced in the areas where they are elevated. The EPA will be reporting on the ecological health of our waters later in 2025.”

The Early Insights Nitrogen Indicator 2024 report is now available on the EPA website.

Further information on local water quality and targeting agricultural measures is available on the EPA website.