€57,493 In Grants Awarded For Water Quality Projects in Wicklow

Overall, €1,047,265.26 has been awarded across 54 projects in 24 counties under the ‘Community Water Development Fund Open Call 2025’.

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.

In Wicklow the following projects were awarded funding:

• East Wicklow Rivers Trust CLG- Design, consent and costings for the removal of a barrier to fish migration on the Aughrim River (€49,593.60).
• Laragh / Glendalough Tidy Towns Association- Invasive Alien Species removal from the Glenmacnass River in the vicinity of Laragh Bridge / Old Mill (€7,900).

Since 2018, on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, LAWPRO has made over €3.7m available through this funding scheme to communities, assisting in the implementation of the Water Framework Directive through Ireland’s Water Action Plan.

The funding provided annually has also increased significantly during this period, from €185,800 in 2018 to over €1 million in 2025.

Types of projects approved for funding under this year’s open call include:

• River conservation, restoration and rehabilitation initiatives.
• Nature-based solutions projects.
• Preparation of reports: feasibility studies, habitat management plans, ecological surveys, and hydromorphology studies.