Providing World Class environmental compliance consulting
that is both cost effective and focused on client needs

Water Abstraction Must Be Registered With The EPA

The requirements for registration of water abstractions are set out in the European Union (Water Policy) (Abstractions Registration) Regulations 2018 (S.I. No. 261 of 2018). The development of a national register of water abstractions is a requirement of EU law under the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC).

An abstraction under the Abstraction Regulations, is described as the removal or diversion of water from a river, lake, stream, spring, groundwater well, borehole or estuary, for any purpose.

The regulations apply to anyone abstracting 25 m3 (25,000 litres) of water or more per day, for any purpose, including industrial activities such as EPA licensed facilities.

Existing abstractions should be registered with the EPA immediately. New abstractions must be registered within one month of the start of the abstraction. If you have reported your water abstraction to a public authority (such as your local authority or County Council) in the past, you must also register your water abstraction with the EPA.

Temporary abstractions of 25 m3 of water or more per day must be registered, unless the abstraction is a one-off occurrence with a duration no more than 24 hours. When a temporary abstraction ceases, it should be de-registered.

Registration is free and can only be done online through the EPA’s EDEN portal. Register your abstraction by providing the following information:

• The abstraction owner's name and address

• Abstraction location details, such as the address and Eircode (if available)

• Abstraction source details (is it from a river, lake, or spring?)

• Abstraction purpose details, such as industrial, agricultural, or commercial.

• The number of abstraction points.

• You also need to provide details of the highest amount of water you would abstract from the abstraction in one day (called the maximum daily abstraction volume, measured in m3/d).

• The average amount of water you would use from the abstraction over the course of a year (called the annual abstraction volume, measured in m3/yr).

Where the owner of an abstraction greater than 25 m3/d does not register with the EPA, or knowingly provides false information to the EPA, if found guilty of an offence, on summary conviction, they are liable to a Class A fine.

April 2022