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Community Water Development Fund: grants to help communities protect their local waters in 2024

October 05, 2023 by EPA Catchments Unit | in 3rd Cycle 2022-2027, Catchment Management, Get involved, News, Stories, Water and Communities

The LAWPRO Community Water Development Fund 2024 is now open for applications. Your local community or voluntary group can now apply for a Community Water Development Fund (CWDF) grant for a project in 2024. The Community Water Development Fund helps local communities deliver projects and initiatives that enhance your local water environment, delivering multiple benefits for water quality, biodiversity and climate action.

The Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) administers the Fund on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. There will be €520,000 available in grants under the 2024 Call. The Fund is open to all community and voluntary groups to help in the protection and management of water quality, both locally and in the wider catchment.

  • Grants awarded will range from €1,000 to €25,000
  • Interested community and voluntary groups can download the Guidelines and complete the grant application form online at lawaters.ie
  • For support with your application contact your local Community Water Officer
  • The closing date for receipt of applications is 12 noon on Wednesday 6th Dec 2023

The fund was launched by Minister Malcom Noonan, TD on 28 September during European Sustainable Development Goals Week, which runs from 23 September to 1 October 2023.

“The Community Water Development Fund is a fantastic support to encourage communities to take positive actions for water quality and biodiversity in their local area. It is great to see how nature-based solutions such as rainwater planters can support the wider management of rainwater and surface water runoff in urban areas, as demonstrated here at today’s launch in the heart of Dublin City. It’s just one tangible example of the work underway to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities and SDG 13, Climate Action.”

Minister of State for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Malcolm Noonan, TD

The launch was attended by Sadhbh Burt Fitzgerald and Kaethe Burt O’Dea from Bí Urban, a previous recipient of a CWDF grant. Bí Urban, a social enterprise in Stoneybatter, Dublin showcased one of their rain gardens funded under the CWDF – rain gardens are a nature-based solution addressing storm water runoff in urban areas, delivering multiple benefits for water quality, air quality, biodiversity, climate adaptation and community development.

“The Community Water Development Fund has supported locally led community projects since 2018. The Fund assists the delivery of the River Basin Management Plan for Ireland, which enables implementation of the Water Framework Directive. To date, over €2m has been awarded in grants to communities across Ireland. LAWPRO, through the Fund supports groups to deliver water linked Sustainable Development Goals. Group projects build local capacity and achieve the SDGs by active involvement with their local waterbodies”

Margaret Keegan, Regional Co-Ordinator, LAWPRO

Learn more:

The Community Water Development Fund is managed by LAWPRO.

https://lawaters.ie/cwdf2024/

Interested community and voluntary groups can download the Guidelines and complete the grant application form online at lawaters.ie.

If you experience any technical difficulties when applying, please email funding@lawaters.ie

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EPA Catchments Unit

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.

LAWCO

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.

EPA

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.

DECLG

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.