Building consultant WYG Ireland has been awarded a contract by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide groundwater quality data that will assist in the national assessment of Ireland's groundwater.

The monitoring programme has been established to meet the EPA’s requirement under the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/06/EC to monitor the quality of groundwater throughout Ireland

The WFD provides a basis for many of the changes that will take place in the management of our water environment. It provides a framework for the protection, improvement and sustainable use of all water bodies in the environment across Europe, from source to sea. These water bodies include rivers, canals, lakes, estuaries, wetlands, coastal waters and groundwater.

-- Advertisement --

Michael Cunningham, Managing Director of WYG Environmental & Planning, said: "We are pleased to be part of this project as the sampling and analysis of these groundwater sites will form part of the national database and will be used to make decisions at a national level on development and groundwater protection and will also have a direct positive influence on water quality in Ireland."

EPA intends to monitor a total of 274 groundwater quality sites throughout Ireland in 2009. The majority of the sites are abstraction points for Public or Group Water Supply Schemes made up of 61 springs and 135 wells.

The monitoring network also consists of 59 custom built monitoring boreholes located within six research catchment areas throughout the country. Four samples are required at each of the monitoring sites during 2009 and these samples will then be analysed for specified micro-biological, physio-chemical and chemical determinands.

(PR/BMcC)