NI water: OEP says water laws ‘not implemented properly’

Natalie Prosser, OEP Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said: “Our report finds that although the approach of the WFD NI Regulations is broadly sound, it is not being implemented or delivering as it should for Northern Ireland’s lakes, rivers and coastal waters.”

“This paints a very worrying picture,” she added.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have far to go to see the serious consequences when water quality is neglected, as the ongoing crisis at Lough Neagh shows.”

The Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir, said he took the report’s findings “extremely seriously”.

He welcomed the review, saying it was a “timely reminder of the work required, not only across government, but the public and private sectors, including local government, and the wider community”.

The WFD NI regulations require the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency to develop and roll out a River Basin Management Plan (RBMP), external every six years.

The latest cycle (2021-27) , externalwas due by the end of 2021 but has yet to be finalised.

A target of bringing 70% of water bodies to a “good status” was missed in 2021 and deferred to 2027 by Daera.

But less than a third (31%) of surface water bodies are in a good ecological condition.