Eight booklets have been produced in a public consultation exercise to gain more public input on the Water Framework Directive.

People in Ireland are receiving specially produced SWMI booklets entitled 'Water Matters! -Have your say'. There are eight booklets -one for each River Basin District. RPS was the main author of the booklets and published five of them - covering the Shannon, South Eastern, North Eastern, Neagh-Bann and North Western districts.

Produced in co-operation with local county councils, the Environment and Heritage Service and the Department of the Environment, as part of the National Development Plan 2007-2013 and INTERREG III initiative, the booklets are intended to:

• Identify management issues surrounding Ireland's waterways
• Look at how these issues can be addressed
• Encourage people to provide input for the development of the Water Framework Directive management plans.

The booklets are clear, glossy publications, illustrated with eye-catching colour images throughout. They are divided into colour-coded sections for easy reference and discuss a set list of topics - these being:

• Background
• Wastewater and Industrial Discharges
• Landfills, Quarries, Mines and Contaminated Lands
• Agriculture
• Wastewater from Unsewered Properties
• Forestry
• Usage and Discharge of Dangerous Substances
• Physical Modifications
• Abstractions
• Local Issues
• What Happens Next

The sections are clearly set out and informative and examine current concerns and areas of potential risks, existing controls for waterways, and additional actions that are proposed. Each section also has questions asking for public feedback on identified concerns and proposed actions.

Needless to say, their production is as green as their content - they are Carbon Neutral publications, and printed on recycled paper. The goals of the Water Framework Directive, and the environmental impacts of human activity on Ireland's waterways are explained clearly, giving an overview of population distribution, and the effects of economic growth on water condition. Grace Glasgow, Director for RPS says: this is a very important step for public participation in planning for our waters - hopefully the booklets will be a catalyst to ensure an understanding of water problems and develop an effective management plan to meet the Water Framework Directive's objectives.

To see a sample of some of the information in these booklets, please click on the links below:
Water Matters - Background
Water Matters

For more information please contact:
RPS Belfast (Elmwood House) – P & D
T: 028 9066 7914