Declining water quality is an issue of global concern. Over half of the surface waters in the European Union are failing to achieve the minimum threshold required under the Water Framework Directive, with a similar pattern apparent in Ireland. Nutrient enrichment, coupled with excess sediment inputs are the primary pollutants for most freshwater ecosystems, with anthropogenic activities (including agricultural activities) identified as the main sources of pollutants.
This research forms part of a large multidisciplinary collaboration between ATU Galway City, Teagasc, and University College Cork called The Measures for Water project which aligns with the recently approved WaterEIP (~€60m), to assess the effectiveness of clusters of practical, on-farm measures, implemented (through the WaterEIP) to protect and improve water quality across a gradient of scales (i.e. field, farm, catchment).
The aims of our research are to:
- Assess the effectiveness of implemented break the pathway measures to mitigate and reduce nutrient and sediment pollution,
- Use physico-chemical parameters and biological data (aquatic macrophytes, riparian vegetation and macroinvertebrates) to determine whether implemented break the pathway measures provide protection and improvements in water quality of adjacent aquatic water bodies during base and spate flow conditions,
- Inform the design and implementation of break the pathway measures with specific reference to pollution critical source areas, and
- Make recommendations on appropriate parameters and bioindicators for assessing the water quality of adjacent waterbodies where sediment and nutrients are pressure of concern.
The expected outcomes of this project include the identification, evaluation and dissemination of effective mitigation approaches (i.e., measures, management practices, tools and technologies) to protect and improve water quality as an essential element of sustainable agricultural systems in Ireland.
This research is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Competitive Research Funding Programme
