Tag Archives: Waters of LIFE

Residents of East Clare are being invited to share their views on the health of local rivers. Flagmount Digital Hub is the venue for open consultation with the Waters of LIFE project on Tuesday, July 30, and Thursday August 1. Waters of LIFE are an EU-funded project trialling water quality measures that work for local communities. The project is gathering local knowledge on the Graney sub-catchment and is developing an action plan for the area. The sub-catchment includes Lough Graney, Lough Atorick, Bleach River, Graney River, Corra River and Dromindoora River. Water quality solutions identified will be used to feed into future national and EU policy. There is an afternoon session from 12.30pm to 2.30pm and evening session 6.30pm to 8.30pm on both days. No appointment is necessary and locals are welcome to drop in and chat with catchment scientist, John Kelly. “We want to hear from people who live in the area and have something to say about its …

A COMMUNITY information meeting will take place in North East Clare to highlight the work of an important water quality initiative.  The event, which will focus on the catchment of Lough Graney, will be held at Lough Graney Community Hall in Flagmount at 7.30pm on Wednesday, October 5. The Graney Catchment is one of six pilot catchments in Ireland which have been selected for inclusion in a new €20 million European Union funded project called ‘Waters of LIFE’. The initiative aims to address the decline in water quality in Ireland’s most pristine and sensitive river catchments, like the Graney Catchment, which covers East Clare and part of South East Galway. Pristine, or near pristine waterbodies (rivers and lakes), are called ‘high-status objective waterbodies’ and are assigned a ‘Blue Dot’ to distinguish them as ‘the best of the best’ among Irish waterbodies. Blue Dot waterbodies are mainly located in remote and lightly populated areas, with many of them found in upland …

CONCERNS over the pressure of forestry and farming activities on the catchment of Lough Graney in North East Clare have prompted its selection for an EU-funded project.  The Lough Graney catchment, which is made up of eight water bodies, is to benefit, alongside five other catchments nationally, from inclusion in the Waters of LIFE project. The scheme was launched last week in Kilmallock, County Limerick, by Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan.  Managed by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), the strategic project involves 16 partners including government departments, State agencies, local authorities, and local development companies, with an overall budget of €20 million.   The aim of the project, which will run until 2028, is to reverse the long-term trend of decline in Ireland’s “high status” waters. High status rivers are those considered to be in pristine condition and rich in biodiversity and Ireland is one of a small number of EU …