Minister Joe O’Brien welcomes Community Water Development Fund Grants for Fingal
€19,073.87 awarded in Grants to projects around Fingal by the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO)
€1,430 for Balbriggan Our Waters and Wild’s ecological restoration of the Bracken River
€9,313 for Sustainable Skerries (committee of the Skerries Community Association CLG) for Nature-based solutions, rainwater capture, education and a feasibility study for Skerries and a stream Assessment – mill to sea
€7,330.87 for Ballyboughal Tidy Towns for a feasibility study on water usage & Rainwater harvesting planters for the village of Ballyboughal
€1,000 for Rush Tidy Towns for a Citizen Science Walking Water Workshop
Today, on World Water Day (Friday 22nd March, 2024) Minister of State for Community Development, Charities and Integration, Joe O’Brien welcomes the announcement of €1.2m for water quality projects nationwide, €19,073.87 of which will go to projects in his own constituency of Dublin Fingal.
Under the fund, local communities and groups were invited to apply for financial assistance to support the delivery of projects and initiatives to enhance local water bodies and benefit water quality and biodiversity.
LAWPRO works on behalf of 31 local authorities to protect and restore good water quality. It is awarding funding to 155 projects in 26 countries under the ‘Community Water Development Fund Open Call 2024’.
Welcoming the announcement, Minister O’Brien said:
“It is great to see funding allocated which prioritises water quality and river catchment projects nationwide. Our waters are a vital component of biodiversity, nature and wildlife in Ireland. It is essential that they get the recognition required, and that groups who contribute to their flourishing get the support they need from Government.”
Minister O’Brien also said:
“I particularly welcome the announcement of grants awarded to projects in my own constituency of Dublin Fingal, with important projects such as Balbriggan’s Our Waters and Wilds ecological restoration of the Bracken River, Sustainable Skerries’ nature-based solutions, rainwater capture, and feasibility study for Skerries, the Ballyboughal Tidy Towns’ feasibility study on water usage and rainwater harvesting planters for the area and Rush Tidy Towns’ Walking Water Workshop. These are great projects which I look forward to seeing develop further with the support of the grants announced today.”
Funding applications will be available from https://lawaters.ie/ from Wednesday the 27th of March 2024 and the fund closes for applications on Friday, 12th of April 2024.
Commenting on the 2024 fund, Director of Services for LAWPRO, Anthony Coleman said:
“We are delighted to fund local community driven projects that will go towards improving water bodies. LAWPRO was set up to coordinate and support efforts to achieve good water quality and these types of projects are at the heart of what we do. Community engagement is fundamental in dealing with local issues and the fund empowers groups to take action to benefit their local water bodies and the surrounding environment.”
Full details of grants awarded are available online at www.lawaters.ie and www.catchments.ie
For more information on the work of LAWPRO visit: www.lawaters.ie
ENDS
For media information:
Sadhbh O’Neill
Communications & Engagement Lead
Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO)
E: soneill@lawaters.ie
T: 085 850 0409
About Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) https://lawaters.ie/
Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) works on behalf of Ireland’s 31 local authorities to protect and restore good water quality in our rivers, lakes, estuaries, ground and coastal water through catchment science and local community engagement. LAWPRO was established to fulfil requirements under the European Union Water Framework Directive and is funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. LAWPRO coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan.