Ballinahown awarded €17,507 grant for water quality project

The Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) has awarded €17,507.50 to Ballinahown Community Development for a water quality project.

The funding will go towards stage two of the villages Nature Based Surface Water Management action plan.

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.

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; and preparation of reports: feasibility studies, habitat management plans, ecological surveys, and hydromorphology studies.

As well as the Community Water Development Fund, LAWPRO also supports community groups and organisations through its Catchment Support Fund and Small Grants and Events Scheme.

Launched in 2024, the Catchment Support Fund awarded €500,000 last year towards the core running costs of non-governmental organisations working in the area of water quality. Whereas the Small Grants and Events Scheme allows community groups to apply for funding to cover small scale initiatives and events related to water quality.

Full details of grants awarded and for more information on the work of LAWPRO visit: www.lawaters.ie