Rivers Agency and water quality

Considering the two elements that constitute water quality, the Agency’s role in affecting chemical quality is negligible apart from the recognition that water quantity has a direct influence on water quality. However, the operational duties of the Agency on watercourses – flood defence schemes, river maintenance work and water level control on Loughs Neagh and Erne - do have a direct influence on a river’s ecological quality as the aquatic ecosystem is influenced by the hydro-morphological conditions which include flow, level and physical structure of the river.