Mayo meeting hears of stark realities facing Ireland’s waterways
IRELAND has numerous dying lakes and action is needed to save them, a meeting in Mayo was told.
Dr. Elaine McGoff, head of advocacy with An Taisce, was guest speaker at the September meeting of the Lough Carra Catchment Association and in a talk that was both powerful and sobering, she set out the stark realities facing Ireland’s waterways - and Lough Carra in particular.
“It’s wonderful to be back at Lough Carra,” she began. “I do see the signs of degradation, but it remains such a special place.
“It’s heartening to be with a group of people who care about it as much as I do.”
Advocacy in Action: Challenging Government Policy
Dr. McGoff explained that her role in An Taisce is on the “less popular side of the house” - advocacy.
“My main job is often to challenge government policy and decisions, so I’m not that popular with the government,” she admitted. The advocacy team covers a wide range of issues, including climate, biodiversity, water quality, planning, and built heritage.
With a PhD in freshwater ecology and an advanced diploma in environmental law, she combines scientific expertise with legal knowledge. “It’s quite a powerful combination,” she said, noting that An Taisce has become one of the most active environmental NGOs in Ireland when it comes to legal action on water quality. She also serves as a director of the Sustainable Water Network (SWAN), strengthening connections between community groups and national advocacy.
Her personal connection to Lough Carra goes back nearly 20 years, when she carried out her PhD research on the lake. Even then, she recalled, the signs of decline were already evident.
Rise of Nitrate Pollution
Back in the early 2000s Ireland could still claim that 83% of its lakes were pristine, and 70% of rivers were unpolluted. The focus then was largely on phosphorus pollution, and nitrogen was not seen as a serious concern.
“Fast forward to today, and the picture is very different,” she explained. “Year on year, we see increasing levels of nitrogen pollution, particularly linked to the rapid expansion of the dairy sector. Lough Carra, like many lakes, is now impacted by both phosphorus and nitrate.”
She highlighted the key difference between the two pollutants: phosphorus binds to soil and usually reaches water through surface run-off, while nitrogen moves directly through free-draining soils into groundwater and rivers. “That’s why productive dairy land in the south and southeast is such a hotspot for nitrate loss,” she said.
Despite the introduction of the EU Nitrates Directive more than 30 years ago, Ireland’s water quality continues to decline. Today, half of rivers and lakes and two-thirds of estuaries are classified as polluted. Agriculture is the main driver of this pollution, followed by hydromorphology, forestry, and urban wastewater.
Derogations and Lack of Environmental Safeguards
Much of her talk centred on Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme and the use of derogations, which allow farmers to spread more nitrogen than EU rules normally permit. While she stressed that she is not opposed to derogations in principle, she argued strongly that they must be evidence-based and must not come at the expense of water quality.
What troubles her most, she said, is the lack of environmental safeguards in the system. Farmers applying for a derogation must meet certain farmyard criteria - for example, having adequate slurry storage or fencing off waterways. But she noted, “there is zero assessment of water policy. There is no environmental assessment linked to derogation.
“I could be a farmer beside the most polluted water body in Ireland and apply for derogation - nobody will look at the quality of the water I’m impacting. They are completely blind to it.”
Economics 'Winning Out Over Our Environment'
This omission, she argued, highlights how economic interests continue to outweigh environmental protection. The Strategic Environmental Assessment that accompanied the most recent Nitrates Action Plan even admitted that certain recommended changes to protect the environment were not adopted “for economic reasons.” In other words, Dr. McGoff said, “the environment is in trouble, but it’s going to cost too much money - so it gets ignored.”
A second warning in the assessment made clear that seeking a derogation to allow greater nitrogen loading was “environmentally unsustainable.” Yet, she noted, the government not only sought such a derogation but is now seeking another just four years later.
An Taisce, along with Dr. McGoff, made detailed submissions to three public consultations during the drafting of the Nitrates Action Plan. Their warnings went unheeded.
“We reluctantly decided to take the government to court,” she told the audience. “It’s not something we do lightly. It’s stressful and hugely time-consuming. But after 20 years working on water quality, I just couldn’t accept seeing science and law being ignored so flagrantly.”
The case has already been through three hearings in the High Court, with several questions now referred to the European Court of Justice. The outcome, she said, could have significant consequences for Ireland’s dairy sector and the controversial practice of granting nitrates derogations.
Science and Solutions
For Dr. McGoff, the issue is not about being “anti-farmer” or “anti-dairy.” It is about protecting Ireland’s water bodies. “The solutions are not simple, and they do require change.
“The science is clear: if we want cleaner water, we need to reduce the amount of nitrogen going onto the land. That’s the bottom line.”
“We have dying lakes on our doorstep - Lough Carra, Lady’s Island Lake, Lough Neagh,” she added. “If we don’t act, it will be too late.”
She concluded on a hopeful note, praising the work of the Lough Carra Catchment Association. “Community groups like this can make a real difference,” she said. “I just wish every lake in Ireland had people like you fighting for its future.”