Fingal Water Project

The Fingal Water Project tackles the challenges of pollution pressures in ponds and streams in this strategic local authority area of nearly 300,000 people in north County Dublin.

Dr Alan Gilmer, the lead on the project for TU Dublin, explains, “Water quality in many parts of Ireland is under threat, particularly in areas where industrial activity and population densities are high. What you do with water affects land, air quality and ultimately human health, it’s all inter-connected.”

He goes on to explain that pollution in our waterways can cause algal blooms, large growths of algae that suffocate streams and stream-life. Additionally, if fertiliser seeps into a stream or pond, it can create dangerous levels of ammonia in the water, which can affect fish health and supply. Ammonia can also cause Particulate Matter (PM), a mixture of solid and liquid particles that form in the atmosphere as a result of chemical reactions between pollutants, to rise affecting air quality and potentially causing respiratory and lung infections.

This water then flows through the landscape and is discharged to the sea, where it can affect water quality on our beaches and our blue flag demarcations, which has a knock-on effect on local economies and tourism.

The TU Dublin research team will carry out a systematic assessment of pollutants in ponds and streams in the Fingal area. They will then create a framework for promoting preventative measures to help control the pollutants at source and improve water quality.

Public participation is a key feature. The team will generate 3D models of ponds and streams allowing schools, community groups and the public to see and touch the water-landscape setting, learn about possible pollutants, and discover ideas for protecting their local waterways.

The outcomes of the project could potentially act as a springboard for the advancement of new ways to optimize the management of waterways in Ireland. 

The project is commissioned by Fingal County Council in response to new regulations under the EU Water Framework Directive, and a new EU strategy on air quality which requires countries to dramatically reduce PM values.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Alan Gilmer