Discover Duhallow Issue 60

Have Your Say On The Management of Rivers

By MIKE O’CONNOR Ecologist at IRD Duhallow

Ireland publishes a River Basin Management Plan every six years. This sets out the measures necessary to protect and improve the quality of our waters; rivers, estuaries, coastal waters, lakes, and groundwaters. A draft of the third River Basin Management Plan for Ireland has been created and is currently out for public consultation until 31st March. The greatest way to make a difference for biodiversity and for the environment is to influence policies and strategies (like the River Basin Management Plan). This is your chance to speak up and flag issues on your local waterbodies, highlight the importance of water to you and your community, and suggest new measures or improvements to measures listed in the draft plan.

You can read the draft plan by going to www.gov.ie/ housing or by visiting LAWPRO’s website (www.lawaters. ie). You can make a submission by entering the virtual consultation room on LAWPRO’s website. You do not have to have read the draft plan to make a submission on this site, your views on water quality and how it can be improved are all that are required. This site also contains lots of useful resources that can help you to navigate the draft plan. If you have read through the draft plan and wish to contribute suggestions to particular sections of the plan, then you can make a submission on www. gov.ie/housing LAPWRO have held public meetings over the past couple of months, highlighting how the proposed management plan will affect your local waterbodies. While these are now finished, you can watch the recordings on the LAWPRO website.

Remember, you do not have to be an expert to make a submission. The management of our waterbodies impacts everyone, and everyone should have a say.