In 2020 the Environmental Protection Agency published an assessment of the Irish environment, identifying Lough Muckno in Castleblayney among the 11 ‘worst of the worst’ lakes in Ireland from an ecological perspective.
Many factors result in the poor water quality status in Lough Muckno, and work is required to start the process of improving the water quality in Lough Muckno. This will require all agencies and stakeholders to work together in partnership.
As part of this partnership approach, local groups and organisations could deliver community projects that could raise awareness and improve water quality. To this end, Muckno Community Partnership commissioned a Feasibility Report on water quality initiatives on Lough Muckno. Funding was received from the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) Community Development Fund, with match funding provided by Monaghan County Council through Muckno Community Partnership.
The report identifies potential projects that could be delivered by community groups and organisations, and how these projects could be funded. Potential actions include citizen science type projects, raising awareness of water quality issues, joining or forming a Rivers Trust organisation, establishing a catchment care type project, and the benefit of undertaking further ecological studies.
The ‘Lough Muckno, Water Initiatives: Feasibility Study’ is a community report. The information can be used as a resource to identify potential projects and support funding applications being made by any local groups and organisations.
Muckno Community Partnership would like to thank all those who assisted in developing this report, particularly LAWPRO for funding the project and to Ben Malone, LAWPRO’s Community Development Officer for the area who was always on hand to provide support and assistance. Thanks to Monaghan County Council Municipal District for providing match funding and to the Environment Section for their technical support. Rivus Ecological Engineering were the authors, and special thanks must go to Jennifer McAree for her thoroughness and diligence in compiling the information.
The report is complemented by a separate project delivered by another community based collaboration. Síolta Chroí and Transition Monaghan came together and also accessed the LAWPRO Community Development Fund, and commissioned an awareness raising video about the poor water quality in Lough Muckno and Lough Naglack. The video is called ‘Restoring Water Quality in County Monaghan’s Lake Catchments’ – watch it here.
