According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), just 53% of rivers, and 50% of Irish lakes are in satisfactory ecological health. This poor water quality has serious consequences, fuelling a biodiversity crisis and damaging ecosystems upon which our food supply, health, livelihoods and economies depend.
The All Ireland Citizen Science Water Project seeks to build an unparalleled picture of water quality in Ireland that will help to protect our waterways for future generations. The all-island project will engage over 1,000 citizen scientists in testing water quality in communities across Ireland, collecting data from a wider geographical area and more frequently than is possible for EPA scientists working alone.
The project is led by DCU’s Water Institute which addresses national and global water problems through research and capacity building. The Institute brings together DCU experts in science, engineering, data analytics and computer technologies and is internationally recognised for the development of new water technologies like membranes for water filtration and tools to support environmental monitoring of marine and inland waterways. It is also known for delivering major citizen science initiatives, such as WaterBlitz in 2021 in collaboration with Earthwatch and RBC, which saw 800 citizen scientist volunteers collect 538 samples from 33 out of 46 Irish river catchments.
We are currently seeking partners who are interested in collaborating to advance this exciting project.
