A grant of close to €40,000 has been awarded to a water quality project in Portlaoise to work towards an improvement of water quality and biodiversity for the area.
In general, upwards of €1million has been awarded to 54 projects across 24 counties under the ‘Water development fund open call 2025’.
Local communities and groups were able to apply for financial assistance to support the delivery of the project.
The Laois project, awarded €39,200, was the Portlaoise Tidy Towns for a ‘Landscape sustainable urban drainage masterplan’.
From 2018, the local authority waters programme (LAWPRO) have made over €3.7m has been made available through this scheme.
This was on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and heritage who funds them while also assisting with the implementation of the Water Framework Directive.
Several types of projects have been approved for funding for this year and they include: River conservation, restoration and rehabilitation; Nature-based solution projects and preparation of reports such as feasibility studies, habitat management plans, ecological survey and hydromorphology studies.
Director of Services for LAWPRO, Anthony Coleman, said: “This is the largest funds to date supporting local community driven projects in Laois and nationwide that will go towards improving water quality.
“Community engagement is fundamental in dealing with local issues and the fund empowers groups to take action to benefit their local water bodies and the surrounding environment.”
SEE ALSO – Pearse Doherty visits Portlaoise for private strategic Sinn Féin members meeting
