The Government is to introduce new measures to protect large groundwater sources in five counties after inspections showed excessive pollution occurring from agricultural sources.
The measures will apply to below-surface waters in Cos Carlow, Cork, Kerry, Louth and Waterford. County councils in these areas have been asked to identify the most sensitive catchments involved and draw up "action programmes" to ensure their remediation.
Measures will be needed at farm level to "reduce and prevent pollution in these areas", the Department of the Environment has confirmed.
The move coincides with increasing concern at EU level that insufficient progress is being made by Irish authorities in dealing with water pollution. This is likely to result in the Government being brought before the European Court by the European Commission.
The latest finding is of concern because most pollution of Irish freshwater has been by phosphates. On this occasion the group has found nitrate levels which in many instances exceed EU limits. Agricultural manure and excessive fertiliser in soil cause the pollution.
Previous reports by the Environmental Protection Agency noted significant nitrate pollution in groundwaters, but the problem was considered of less significance than phosphate pollution.
The Minister of State for the Environment, Mr Dan Wallace, identified groundwaters in the five counties which show unacceptable levels of nitrates and undertook to keep others under review. These are: Muinebheag, Oakpark and Rathduff, in Co Carlow; Conna, Downing Bridge, Glanworth and Kildorrery, in Co Cork; Lixnaw in Co Kerry; Sheepgrange and Tullyallen, in Co Louth; and Ballyhane, Lafanta and Monument, in Co Waterford.
The new measures follow a series of reviews of groundwater carried out for the Department by its own experts and others from the EPA, the Department of Agriculture and the Geological Survey of Ireland.
The action is necessary because groundwaters in these areas, as opposed to surface waters such as rivers and lakes, are significant sources of drinking water.
Farmers in the most sensitive areas will have to implement measures for the management of manures and fertilisers, on top of existing recommendations on the control of phosphates.
Where "nitrate vulnerable zones" are identified, control measures will be mandatory.
Mr Wallace said significant progress had been made in recent years to incorporate higher levels of environmental protection with a high level of enforcement of pollution Acts.
But significant deficiencies persisted in the waste storage capacity on farms.
"A welcome decline in the use of phosphorus fertilisers occurred during the 1990s, but the use of nitrogen fertilisers continues to rise," he said.
"The incidence of water pollution from agricultural sources continues to increase and this is not sustainable or acceptable."
