A major study into water quality by the Environmental Protection Agency has found that 30 percent of our rivers are now polluted, which marks an increase of ten percent since 1990. The main cause is phosphate, which originates from farming and other industries.
For the country's rivers, this 3-year study confirms the worst fears, that the water quality is continuing to decline significantly. Since the last study in 1995, another four percent of rivers have been lost to pollution.
While serious pollution has fallen in the last 25 years, the level of slight or moderate pollution is rising. It has been caused by too much use of the nutrient phosphate, from farming and other industries, as well as untreated sewage. It is affecting salmon and trout fishing.
New regulations are now being put in place to control it and the Irish Farmers Association says that farmers have reducing their use of phosphate. Our lakes are doing slightly better, 80 percent are unsatisfactory condition, but a survey of ground water is showing that 30% has contamination, which could end up in drinking water.
