Kildare Listed As One Of Top Performers In EPA's Latest Environmental Enforcement Report

Kildare County Council was cited as an example of good practice when it came to water enforcement

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published its report on the environmental enforcement performance of local authorities in 2025.

The report assesses performance against the National Enforcement Priorities (NEPs), which target the most significant environmental risks and compliance challenges across the country.

They include waste, air and noise, water, and governance process.

Local authorities were shown to have strong overall performance in delivering their environmental enforcement responsibilities, however there were areas that required improvement.

Kildare County Council received 14 out of 15 NEPs, meeting 93 per cent of the standard.

Once again, the unauthorised large scale extraction of peat presented as a significant environmental issue for Kildare County Council.

The issue was also an issue in the EPA's 2024 report on the environmental enforcement performance of local authorities.

Under the Environmental Noise Directive, Kildare received a Limited rating, meaning it did not meet the required standard.

Kildare did receive an 'Excellent' score for its enforcement of solid fuel and air quality monitoring and date use.

It also received the same score for local air and noise investigations.

Performance on governance processes remained very high across all local authorities, with Kildare scoring 'Excellent' in both its planning for environmental inspections and compliance and its recording and reporting of said inspections, compliance and enforcement data.

Kildare was given a 'Strong' rating in its waste enforcement results, which was broken down into household waste, commercial waste, plastics and producer responsibility initiatives, construction and demolition material, and tackling illegal waste activities and multi-agency sites/operators of concern.

Farm inspection and enforcement activity of water was also recorded, in which Kildare scored 'Excellent' in its pressures from agriculture-farmyards.

It scored 'Strong' in its pressures from agriculture-farmland, discharge licenses/misconnections, and local water quality pressures including septic tanks and private water supplies.

KCC as an Example of Good Practice:

Kildare County Council was cited as an example of good practice when it came to water enforcement.

During farmland inspections in 2025, unauthorised discharges of trade and sewage flowing into a tributary of the River Liffey were discovered by the council.

Subsequent investigations traced the sources of the discharges to a commercial premises in a nearby business park, where the wastewater was being discharged to the storm water system, which released to a nearby stream.

Site inspections, drainage surveys, and water quality sampling confirmed the source, with testing identifying very high Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels, which measures the amount of oxygen needed by microorganisms to break down organic matter in sewage.

The operator of the commercial premises was directed to immediately cease the discharge and modify its processes.

Following engagement with Kildare County Council, the operator introduced a closed-loop system to collect and recycle the effluent, eliminating the discharge.

During the investigation, a second unauthorised sewage discharge to surface water was found within the same business park.

Following that discovery, a Section 12 Notice under the Water Pollution Act was issued to the site owner, requiring the immediate cessation of the discharge and the installation of appropriate on-site treatment and disposal measures.

The EPA report noted that the notice was fully complied with.

Kildare County Council's actions resulted in the cessation of two polluting discharges which ultimately improved the protection of local water quality.

The full EPA report can be found here.