Water Policy Advisory Committee (WPAC)

Water Policy Advisory Committee (WPAC)

Bulletin

September 2016

Set out below is a summary overview of the WPAC meeting on 26 September 2016.

The Chair welcomed the newest members of the Committee, i.e., those representing Irish Water and Inland Fisheries Ireland.

Update on Water Quality

The EPA made a presentation on water quality in Ireland for the period 2013 to 2015. The key findingsare that water quality has remained stative over the 2009 – 2015 period and that while there has been a significant decline in the number of the most seriously-polluted waters the sharp decline in the number of pristine waters has not stopped. In relation to the EPA’s ongoing characterisation work, 34 catchments have been completed and the findings in the case of rivers for instance are that, 40% are judged to be at risk, 40% not at risk and 20% require further review. The most significant pressures on water quality remain agriculture, domestic urban wastewater and hydromorphology and the key pressures on high status sites are forestry and agriculture.

The water quality data for the period 2013 to 2015 will ‘go live’ on the catchments.ie website in mid October 2016, with the next Water Quality in Ireland report to be published by end-2016.

Review of Progress on Development of 2nd Cycle RBMPs

D/HPCLG made a presentation on the process of finalising the draft RBMPs. The Programme of Measures Group, which is chaired by D/HPCLG, has agreed draft priorities and it intends to present the draft RBMPs to the next WPAC meeting.

Review of progress at Tier 3

The CCMA reported it is finalising a business case for additional WFD-focused resources for local authorities and it hopes to submit this to the Public Sector Reform and Oversight Group for consideration by November 2016.

Other Business

D/HPCLG noted that it intends to publish its SWMI Response Document on its website. It also advised that it was examining, in conjunction with stakeholders, a proposal to establish a National Water Forum to encompass the current public water forum, the rural water sector and a specific strand focusing on WFD issues.