There has been a total of €13.6m in capital funding allocated to projects aimed at restoring rivers to a free-flowing state by removing barriers like dams and weirs, the Department of Housing has announced.

The funding has been allocated to 103 projects which will be overseen by Inland Fisheries Ireland over the next five years.

The agency has been cataloguing and prioritising in-river barriers it deemed that are impacting the free-flowing of waterways since 2018.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Department has said that the allocation is expected to improve biodiversity by improving river ecosystems and by supporting fish populations.

“The 103 fish barrier mitigation projects being initiated across Ireland are an important step towards accelerating improvements in water quality, particularly with respect to river connectivity and fish migration,” Minister for Housing James Browne stated.

“This lays a great foundation from which future success can be achieved to improve water quality.”

Minister of State for Nature Christopher O’Sullivan said that the projects funded will make a “vital contribution” towards Ireland’s free-flowing river targets under the Nature Restoration Law.

“It’s essential that we continue to make efforts to improve the ecological status of our freshwater habitats, not only to improve the fortunes of iconic and threatened species like Atlantic salmon, European eel and lamprey, but also for everyone who loves and cherishes their local river,” Minister O’Sullivan added.