Water Framework Directive | Marine Institute

Cork Harbour. Photo courtesy of Tomasz Szumski.

The implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) provides an integrated approach to managing water quality on a river basin (catchment) basis. The primary goal is to protect and enhance both ecological and chemical quality of rivers, lakes, groundwater, estuaries and coastal waters.

The Marine Institute monitors coastal and transitional (estuarine) waters, for quality elements, including priority substances and other physico-chemical elements, benthic macro invertebrates and phytoplankton.

The waterbodies are mapped here.

Since 2013, the Shellfish Waters Directive has been subsumed into the WFD. Nevertheless, an extensive monitoring programme for chemical and microbiological parameters remains in place to ensure the quality of designated shellfish waters around the coast.

View locations of monitoring sites and our latest publication on compliance monitoring in water and biota.

Marine Environment