COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, June 10, 2013

QUESTION NO.12

QUESTION: Councillor W. Lavelle

To ask the Manager to present a report on water quality in the River Liffey, including any recent testing results?

REPLY:

In respect of the River Liffey, four samples were taken during 2012 at the Liffey Bridge in Lucan which is one of the Water Framework Directive Monitoring points. Most of these samples met the high physicochemical status criteria but overall South Dublin County Council would classify the water quality in the River Liffey as good. 

The Environmental Protection Agency conducts an ongoing monitoring programme by which river water quality and trends are assessed with respect to ecological criteria and to physico-chemical water quality standards. All of the major rivers and their more important tributaries are included in the programme. The biological programme covers a channel length of approximately 13,200km and involves sampling at some 2,300 stations.  A complete survey cycle is completed every three years. As part of the physico-chemical monitoring programme, approximately 1,500 stations are assessed annually.

Reports and results on River Quality are accessible on the EPA website at http://www.epa.ie/water/wm/rivers/