Geological Survey Ireland has completed Groundwater Protection Schemes (GWPSs) in partnership with Local Authorities, and there is now national coverage of GWPS mapping. From the mid-1990’s to the mid-2000’s, GWPSs were undertaken on a county-by-county basis, with maps and full reports produced. This work covered about 40% of the country. For the remaining counties, GWPS maps are available.
Groundwater Protection Scheme Maps
Groundwater Protection Scheme maps comprise aquifer , groundwater vulnerability , source protection area/zone maps, and groundwater protection response maps. Hydrogeological data such as well yield and productivity, karst feature and dye tracing, and depth to rock data are interpreted by hydrogeologists to create the maps.
Groundwater Protection Scheme Reports
Groundwater Protection Scheme reports are available for certain counties. The reports summarise the hydrogeology, aquifers, groundwater vulnerability and the groundwater use in a county at the time of the study. Groundwater Quality reports give an overview of the main water quality issues in each county at the time of reporting.
Source Protection Zone reports
Source Protection Zone delineation provides an assessment of the land area that contributes groundwater to a borehole or spring.
- Source reports have been undertaken by Geological Survey Ireland on behalf of Local Authorities since the mid 1990’s. Since then, more than 120 have been completed. It is planned to make them available here in the future. Until then, please email groundwaterinfo@gsi.ie for the source report you require.
- A further 40 were completed by a CDM/TOBIN/OCM project team for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish Groundwater Source Protection Zones (SPZs) at monitoring points in the EPA’s National Groundwater Quality Network. These SPZs represent a continuation of GSI’s work, and follow the principles and methodologies set out in ‘Groundwater Protection Schemes’ (DELG/EPA/GSI, 1999) and in the GSI/EPA/IGI Training course on Groundwater Source Protection Zone Delineation (2007, 2009).
- Other reports commissioned by Local Authorities from hydrogeological consultants are available from the relevant Local Authorities.