Restore Our Waters Campaign
Ireland has a water crisis –
Half our rivers, lakes and estuaries are unhealthy,
with pollution escalating
The Government has published a proposed water management plan (the River Basin Management Plan) but it’s weak and won’t work and we need to let them know!
SWAN is calling for an effective action plan to restore ALL waters in Ireland to a healthy state and we have submitted seven key recommendations on how to do it. The Government is currently reviewing the submissions so we need to ensure we grab their attention now and call for our asks to be adopted. We’re asking you to do this by emailing Minister Darragh O’Brien and Minister Malcolm Noonan.
Will you be part of the change and act now for your water environment?
Fair Seas Campaign
SWAN is delighted to be a partner within the new Fair Seas Campaign.
At present, Ireland has one of the lowest levels of marine protection in Europe. There is an urgent need to increase our levels of protection to at least 30%. Crucially, that 30% must provide effective protection for our iconic habitats and species. We want to see Ireland become a world leader in marine protection and through this campaign, we hope to realise that goal.
Other Actions
There are lots of other ways to take action to protect our water environment. Many of SWAN’s member organisations organise volunteer events and are always open to new members, who are critical to their work. Check out our list of members for more info. SWAN Members
Be sure to follow SWAN on Twitter and SWAN members too, to stay informed about campaigns and events relating to the protection of our water environment.
If you’d like to get involved in the protection or restoration of a river, lake or bay in your area, contact your local Community Water Officer with the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRo) to connect with local groups or start your own project. Contact LAWPRo here: http://watersandcommunities.ie/get-involved/
Reporting Water Pollution
Contact your local Community Water Officer with the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRo) to report pollution or raise an issue of concern in your local area: http://watersandcommunities.ie/community-water-officers/
Contact your local authority to report the pollution. You can find the contact details for your local authority here: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/942f74-local-authorities/
Call the National Environmental Complaints Line on 1850 365 121.
The National Environmental Complaints line is a 24 hour service for members of the public to report pollution or illegal dumping. Local authorities, the EPA and / or the Gardaí will follow up on complaints. See more information on the National Environmental Complaints Line here: https://www.epa.ie/enforcement/report/nationalenvironmentalcomplaintsline/
Download and use the ‘See It Say It’ app. You can find more info about the ‘See It Say It’ app here: https://www.epa.ie/enforcement/report/
If your complaint relates to an EPA licenced site, or if you have pursued a general complaint through your local authority and it has still not been resolved, you can complain to the EPA directly. See more information on how to complain to the EPA here: https://www.epa.ie/enforcement/report/