The Shared Water Enhancement & Loughs Legacy project represents a cross-border partnership comprising NI Water, Irish Water, Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute (AFBI), Loughs Agency and East Border Region, working collaboratively to improve water quality within the shared waters of Carlingford Lough and Lough Foyle.
The water quality within a coastal water body is affected by hydrodynamic, chemical and biological processes. Since environmental pressures do not recognise international boundaries and borders, the only mechanism for delivering improved water quality in the shared waters is to consider each lough catchment as a single ecosystem, impacted by polluters on both sides of the border.
SWELL comprises two separate projects - one for the Carlingford Lough drainage catchment and the other for the Lough Foyle drainage catchment. Each project will consist of a number of key activities including catchment studies, ecosystem modelling and 8 separate capital upgrades to deliver improvements to wastewater assets in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The cross-border partnership is utilising best practice, innovation and knowledge sharing to effectively achieve the outputs and results of the INTERREG VA Programme.
The project aims to improve the quality of water in Carlingford Lough and Lough Foyle. The €35m EU-funded project upgrades wastewater assets on both sides of the border, but also develops a unique ecosystem model that will support further improvements in these shared waters.
Through engineering excellence, strategic catchment investigation and modelling, SWELL will deliver sustainable upgrades to wastewater assets on both sides of the border and make a positive contribution towards ‘Good Ecological Status’ under the EU Water Framework Directive.
