Northern Ireland's lakes

Northern Ireland is noted for having some of the largest lakes in the British Isles, including Lough Neagh, Lower Lough Erne and Upper Lough Erne.

Approximately 39% of drinking water in Northern Ireland is currently taken from natural lakes, while new lake sources have been identified to meet increasing demand into the next century. Many lakes also support ecological habitats and species of national and international importance.
Lakes are important natural resources with uses ranging from agriculture to fisheries and recreation.

Some of these uses can threaten the water quality of the lakes on which they depend. Like rivers, pollution in the surrounding area can come from a single sources like industrial discharges, or from a number of different sources such as road or agricultural run-off.

Lakes vary in size and cannot be treated as uniform bodies of water. It is important that lakes are protected from pollution and managed as a sustainable resource for all of the activities that depend on their water as well as for their diverse ecologies.

Most national and international studies on lakes have focused on specific problems such as eutrophication (an increase in chemical nutrients) and acidification (increase in acid) in lakes.

Other studies have looked at their ecology for conservation purposes. Locally, studies such as the Northern Ireland Lakes Survey, and by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, have improved our understanding of the impact of pollution on these water bodies and their associated ecology.

In the future, lake monitoring in Northern Ireland will focus on whether our lakes comply with the European Commission (EC) Water Framework Directive.