Experts to explain efforts to restore local water quality
A community information meeting on what is being described as “water quality and water related issues” in the Mullingar Kinnegad Municipal District is to take place in Mullingar on Thursday night of this week, May 22.
The meeting is being held to make more people aware of work to improve water quality in the area and to encourage as much engagement as possible with all stakeholders across the community, including key agencies, special interest groups, voluntary, public and private sectors.
Behind the event is the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO), the body that is working on behalf of Ireland’s 31 local authorities to protect and restore good water quality in rivers, lakes, estuaries, ground and coastal water.
Under the River Basin Management Plan for Ireland LAWPRO carries out work in areas identified as having poor water quality called Priority Areas for Action (PAA) to support targeted water quality improvements with other stakeholders.
Ahead of the public meeting, Anthony Coleman, director of services with LAWPRO, explained that over a number of years LAWPRO has been working in the area as part of the Second cycle River Basin Management Plan for Ireland.
At the meeting LAWPRO experts will describe the work that has been carried out in the second cycle and what is being planned for the third cycle Water Action Plan. There will also be opportunities for the public to ask questions and talk to members of the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) and the LAWPRO Farming for Water European Innovation Partnership (EIP) project team.
Said Mr Coleman: “As we are coming to the end of second cycle work in the Mullingar Kinnegad Municipal District area and begin implementation of the new Water Action Plan we would like to take this opportunity to welcome members of the public to come along and find out more about what’s happening in their local waterbodies and river catchments.
“We hope to engage as many people as possible at this meeting in Westmeath because public participation and support is key to achieving water quality improvements.”
The public meeting begins at 7.30pm on Thursday May 22 in Bloomfield House Hotel.