Our water quality policy

Water is one of our most vital natural resources. Not only is it essential to sustain life itself, but it also plays a crucial role in our economic development and social well-being.

For centuries, rivers, lakes, estuaries, seas and groundwater have played a vital role in everyday life. Today in Northern Ireland these water bodies are important natural resources for agriculture, industry and fisheries.

They are also important for recreational use, for their value to tourism, and - of course - as sources of drinking water.

Many waters also support ecological habitats and species of national and international importance.

Some of the ways in which we use water can threaten the very water quality on which they depend. Pollution in the surrounding area can come from single sources like industrial or sewage waste discharges, or can come from road or agricultural run-off.

It is important that our water bodies are protected from pollution and managed as a sustainable resource for all of the activities that depend on them.

Our aim is to conserve, protect, and where possible, improve the aquatic environment, both marine and freshwater, in Northern Ireland.

The NIEA and water quality

The NIEA's policy on water quality is:

To maintain or improve quality in surface waters and waters in underground strata as required by national policy, European Commission (EC) directives and international agreements, and to generally manage river, estuarine, and coastal waters to be at least "Good" under the adopted classification schemes with no downward movement between classes.

Further information can be found in the following documents:

• The Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (.PDF 866Kb)
• The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 (.PDF 74Kb)
• 'Deposited Map' as per The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 (.PDF 845Kb)
• River Water Quality Monitoring Strategy for Northern Ireland (.PDF 823Kb)
• Lake Water Quality Monitoring Strategy for Northern Ireland (in preparation)
• Policy & Practice for the Protection of Groundwater in Northern Ireland(.PDF 1.31Mb)
• A Groundwater Monitoring Strategy for Northern Ireland(.PDF 723Kb)
• The Enforcement and Prosecution Policy(.PDF 92.6Kb)
• Managing the Water Environment in Northern Ireland 2000(.PDF 2.38Mb)

Marine Bill Consultation

A consultation paper published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in England with the devolved administrations, contains proposals for the strategic direction of policy development in five key areas: marine spatial planning, marine licensing, marine nature conservation, fisheries management, and a marine management organisation.

This consultation aims to ensure that everyone involved can give their opinions at an early stage of policy development.

The document contains important questions about the strategic direction we should take, and the issues we should take into account when developing our proposals for the Marine Bill.

To find out more, or to take part in the consultation process, visit the Department of Environment website.