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Community Water Development Fund awards grants to benefit communities and their local water catchments

Community Water Development Fund grants for 2021 issued at the end of April. The fund was introduced four years ago to support communities and groups deliver projects that enhance the quality of local streams, rivers, lakes, and coastal areas.

The Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage provides the funding which is administered by the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO). There is growing interest in the fund, which is clear by the numbers of applications received this year by LAWPRO.

I am delighted that this scheme, funded by my Department, is so highly sought after. We need to protect our rivers, lakes, and groundwater and this scheme, which is a great example of community engagement, is just one way in which we can do that. I plan to launch a new revised and strengthened third-cycle River Basin Management Plan in 2022, to protect Ireland’s water quality, and to ensure that we have a well-protected environment and vibrant communities for future generations.
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien TD,

As in previous years, applications for funding for 2021 exceeded the €380,000 total available, with 195 applications seeking €1,900,000 in grants. While the standard of applications was high, not all applications were awarded grants.

Types of projects approved for funding include:

Awareness raising initiatives such as river clean ups, biodiversity information boards, citizen science workshops, outdoor classrooms, rainwater harvesting, and enhancement of wetlands
Preparation of local plans such as feasibility studies, habitat management plans, ecological surveys, and biodiversity action plans
River and habitat enhancement works such as planting of native species and hedgerow, pollinator friendly planting, river-bank stabilisation, fencing and riparian buffer zones

The Local Authority Waters Programme works with all 31 local authorities, relevant State agencies, stakeholders and communities with a shared goal of meeting the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive to have all natural waters at a good standard by 2027. This scheme harnesses community involvement which is borne out in the successful projects such as river clean ups and biodiversity information forums. I would like to congratulate all the successful projects.
Minister of State Malcolm Noonan TD

Grants awarded

You can see all the grants awarded in 2021 on this map:

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.