GREEN Party TD Brian Leddin has welcomed plans for Limerick people who drink water from wells or swim and fish in local rivers and lakes.
This comes following new measures from the Green Party’s Minister for Nature, Malcolm Noonan, who published a plan to protect and improve Ireland’s rivers, lakes, and coasts.
The plan aims to reduce water pollution and improve the quality of over 300 lakes and rivers across Ireland by 2027.
The Water Action Plan will be implemented with the support and participation of local communities most affected by the quality of their local water. It has three broad aims: to prevent and reduce water pollution; to let more rivers run free and restore their natural ecosystem functions; and to continue the positive trajectory of investment in water infrastructure.
Limerick TD Brian Leddin, who chairs the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment and Climate Action, has praised the new plan.
“Water is one of our most precious resources, so we must work hard to keep it clean and safe for everyone to enjoy. Our rivers and lakes are under threat, and we need to take action to stop pollution ruining them,” he said.
The Limerick TD added that the Green’s plan “isn’t just hot air, it provides the funds to clean up our water and enforce strong controls on pollution. It will empower local communities to take control and ensure local waterways stay clean.”
“One of the most significant actions locally is the improvement of fish migration in the lower Shannon around Parteen and Ardnacrusha. Implementation of the roadmap of actions to improve fish migration will include the use of state-of-the-art technical solutions, with a timescale of 2027.”
Additionally, Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) will lead a pilot project to be undertaken for the Annacotty Weir.
The project is anticipated to commence in 2025 and will provide an opportunity to test a collaborative and ecology-focused design approach.
Deputy Leddin said the new measures will bring communities, non-governmental organisations, farmers, and industry together to understand the challenges in their area and collaborate in solving them. The measures will be implemented through local work plans developed through structured public gatherings.
Local authorities will get more than 60 new enforcement staff to target inspections on 4,500 farms per year and ensure tighter controls on the use of fertilisers that impact water quality.
The plan continues the strategic investment in wastewater infrastructure, with funding for Uisce Éireann coming to over €2.3billion since 2020.
