A new study from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows no improvement in the water quality of Irish rivers, lakes, estuaries or coastal waters.
It said there was no significant change recorded last year, with any improvements offset by declines elsewhere.
The EPA said nitrogen levels increased in rivers and ground water, while phosphorus levels were stable but still too high.
Excess nutrients like these cause an overgrowth of plants and algae in water courses, using up oxygen and impacting fish and other aquatic life.
The agency is calling on the agriculture sector and Uisce Éireann to do more to deal with runoff and wastewater discharges, to limit the impact on rivers and lakes.
EPA Director of Assessment Dr Eimear Cotter described the failure to improve standards as "extremely disappointing".
She said nutrient levels would have to be reduced before Ireland would be able to meet its objectives in relation to water quality.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Dr Cotter said the agriculture sector must take urgent action to improve water quality.
She said: "Every farmer has a part to play in this and it's about reducing the amount of fertiliser, slurries, manures that are lost from the lands and into our waters.
"So that's about making sure that fertilisers, manures, for example, are spread at the right home with the year in the right place, in the right amount."
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The report states that one of the most significant stressors on water quality and ecosystem health are these high nutrient levels.
Nitrogen levels, mainly from agriculture's fertilisers and manures, were found to be too high in 40% of river sites and in a fifth of estuarine and coastal water bodies.
Phosphorus levels, chiefly from agricultural runoff and wastewater discharges, are generally stable, but are still too high in many rivers and lakes.
The EPA said Ireland should fully implement the European Nitrates Action Programme, by enhancing compliance and having targeted agricultural inspections.
It said Uisce Éireann must prioritise investment in areas where wastewater is impacting water quality.
The agency said the Department of Local Government's forthcoming River Basin Management Plan must provide a comprehensive series of actions to address all the pressures on the water environment.
'Clear failure of existing policy'
A coalition of environmental groups has called on the Government to devise an effective strategy to address water pollution.
The Sustainable Water Network says today's EPA Water Indicator Report highlights the need for urgent action.
The Network says the EPA report, which showed there had been no improvements in water quality recorded in 2022, demonstrated a clear failure of existing policy.
Minister of State for Heritage, Malcolm Noonan, described today’s report as disappointing. He said it showed what needed to be done to address the issues raised.
The Minister said greater enforcement of regulations could play a part in dealing with the problem and expressed confidence that target of 16,000 inspections to be carried out in the lifetime of the next River Basin Management Plan would help in this regard.
But those proposals have been described as inadequate by An Taisce.
The organisation’s Natural Environment Officer, Dr Elaine McGoff, said the EPA report was like "groundhog day".
"We’ve had ten years of decline. Every year the EPA will come out with a report saying our water quality has declined. Every year the Government say 'OK, we’re going to do better’ and the next year, nothing has changed.
Dr McGoff says this is a golden opportunity for the Government to change course and "step up" to turn the future of Irish water quality around.
"What we need to see now is serious, ambitious measures to address this. The Government are in the middle of drafting the River Basin Management plan, to get water in good quality by 2027. The draft is incredibly weak, it’s just tinkering around the edges when we need far reaching action."
She has called for a "reliance on the science", to assess what level of nitrates each water body can take, and act accordingly.
Dr McGoff said a lot of the problems being recorded were as a direct result of agricultural intensification, which she said was "driving all of our environmental indicators off a cliff".
But she said "farmers are not the ones to blame here".
"They’re sticking to the regulations, doing what they’re told, doing what they’re advised to do. The problem is that regulations are not fit for purpose and that’s due to a lack of leadership from the Government and agriculture lobby groups, to understand what the problems are and to be willing to address them," she said.
