What is a Blue Dot?

The Water Framework Directive has several objectives. One is to prevent deterioration of the status of all surface waters. This means that water bodies that are High Status should not decline to Good Status or worse. The EPA have identified the waters in Ireland that should have a high status objective, and these are more commonly known as Blue Dot waters or Blue Dots. Our Blue Dot waters include rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal waters

To access spatial data on high status objective waters, click here (catchments.ie)

Blue Dot waters that are achieving their high status objective contain a diverse community of plants and animals that are very sensitive to pollution such as Stoneflies, Mayflies, Freshwater Pearl Mussels and the Slender Naiad.

Blue Dot waters that are not achieving their high status objective will generally have a poorer diversity of macroinvertebrates. In rivers where Fresh water Pearl Mussels are present, the recruitment of juvenile mussels will be significantly affected where pristine water is not maintained.