| Current status | 2021 |  |
| Short term status | 2015 - 2021 | |
| Long term status | 2010 - 2021 |  |
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*previously referred to as ‘habitats’ ' class='img-rounded'>
*previously referred to as ‘habitats’ ' class='img-rounded'>Introduced in 2000, the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to protect all water resources, prevent further deterioration of all waters and to restore degraded surface and ground waters to good status by 2015 (or at the latest 2027). It was given legal effect in Ireland by the European Communities (Water Policy) Regulations 2003 (S.I. No. 722 of 2003). The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has delegated the task of coordination and oversight of the WFD implementation in Ireland to the Environmental Protection Agency. Pressures on water quality assessed under the WFD in transitional and coastal waters include inputs of hazardous substances and morphological alterations. As with rivers and lakes, transitional and coastal waters are classified into high, good, moderate, poor or bad ecological status based a standard, European-wide unified approach integrating a suite of biological, chemical and morphological conditions. Assessment of quality if based on the extent of deviation from reference conditions i.e. biological, chemical and morphological conditions associated with no or very low human pressure.
Between the last two reporting periods, there was a 15 percentage point drop in the number of transitional water bodies achieving high or good ecological status (41.4%, 2013-2018; 25.7%, 2016-2021). There has also been a 9 percentage point drop in number of coastal water bodies achieving high or good ecological status between 2013 to 2018 (80.9%) and 2016 to 2021 (71.4%).
In addition to the WFD, the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) is European legislation, which aims to protect the marine environment. It requires the application of an ecosystem-based approach to the management of human activities, enabling a sustainable use of marine goods and services. The MSFD assigns good environmental status to waters under 11 qualitative descriptors including one which relates directly to biodiversity. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is the lead body for the implementation of the MSFD and is supported by a number of other departments and state agencies including the Marine Institute (MI). The extent to which Ireland achieved ‘Good Environmental Status (GES) in its Marine Waters can be viewed through the Marine Information Service for Europe country profile here: https://water.europa.eu/marine/countries-and-regional-seas/country-profiles/ireland.
More information on water quality in Ireland’s coastal and transitional waters can be found here:
https://www.epa.ie/publications/monitoring--assessment/freshwater--marine/water-quality-in-2019.php
More information on the Water Framework Directive and the EPA’s Monitoring and Assessment Programme can be found here:
https://www.epa.ie/our-services/monitoring--assessment/
The Water Framework Directive Status data can be downloaded from here:
Number of transitional, coastal and marine waters* reported as 'Good Environmental Status' under Water Framework Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive monitoring *previously titled habitats
The EU Water Framework Directive was adopted in 2000 bringing a standardised framework to safeguarding all water bodies and water-dependent ecosystems. The number of transitional water and marine habitats attaining high or good environment status is an indicator of Ireland’s success in protecting its water resources.