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Community Water Fund 2018 now open for applications

The Local Authority Waters & Communities Office are pleased to announce the launch of an open call for applications to a Community Water Development Fund 2018.

Closing date for receipt of applications is Monday, 28th May at 19.00hrs.

The Community Water Development Fund aims to support communities in progressing water related projects and initiatives, delivering benefits locally whilst also helping to meet the objectives of the River Basin Management Plan for Ireland and the wider EU Water Framework Directive.

This fund is open to all community and voluntary groups to assist in the protection and management of water quality, both locally and in the wider catchment. This can include the development of a catchment partnership or River/Lake Trust, and delivery of local projects to protect and improve water quality in a local waterbody.

This fund will enable communities to get more involved in the management of their local water environment, delivering multiple benefits for present and future generations. The fund is administered by the Waters and Communities Office on behalf of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.

Types of projects considered will include:

Capital projects such as restoration/habitat conservation/natural flood mitigation measures.
Projects that promote public awareness/education and events such as biodiversity days, surveys, training workshops, surveys and plans, etc.
General amenity such as beach clean, improving amenity areas, bird watching facilities, etc.

Grants awarded will range from up to €5,000; up to €10,000 and up to €25,000. The fund is capped at €180,000 for 2018.

How to apply:

Full details are available on the Waters and Communities Office website.

About author

EPA Catchments Unit

Administrator

The EPA Catchments Unit is based in Dublin, and the team is involved with catchment science, chemistry, ecology, hydromorphology, modelling, Geographic Information Systems and planning. We work with the wider EPA, all of our local authorities, the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and other public bodies and Departments to ensure we have the best available data and information about our catchments.

Who is involved?
Quite simply, everyone in Ireland has a role to play. This can be from something as simple as making sure you don’t pollute your local stream, or a local community working together to establish a Rivers Trust to enhance the rivers and lakes in their area, to a Government Department or Agency helping a Minister implement a new policy to help protect and enhance all our water bodies.

This website has been developed and is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and is a collaboration between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Local Authority Waters Programme.

Local Authority Waters Programme

The Local Authority Waters Programme coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, and supports local community and stakeholder involvement in managing our natural waters, for everyone’s benefit.

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4,842 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives for each.

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Department is responsible for making sure that the right policies, regulations and resources are in place to implement the Water Framework Directive, and developing a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures to protect and restore our waters.