Heritage Council
Background on consultation document on water:

The Heritage Council is a statutory body with responsibility to propose policies and priorities for Ireland's heritage, It comes under the aegis of the Dept of the Environment and Local Government.

In its strategic plan 2001-06, the Council identified water quality as one of its main areas of policy formation. As part of the process of drafting this policy, the Heritage Council will canvass opinion on current water quality and current and future water management proposals and is bringing out a consultation document for widespread distribution.

This document covers the following areas:
- The water cycle and main causes of pollution
- Current status of waters
- The Water Framework Directive (WFD) - its aims and implications
- The role of public participation in the WFD
- Where to get more information.

While intended to stimulate response, the document seeks to pass on information on water quality and management issues, and on the WFD.

In addition to the consultation document, the Heritage Council will also be looking into the legal aspects of water management.

Provisional timescale:
· Distribution of the document - early 2003
· Feed back to Heritage Council - by Easter
· Feed back to participants - early summer 2003.
· Draft policy to Minister - by winter 2003.

November 2002

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