The Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) works on behalf of Ireland’s 31 local authorities to protect and restore water quality in rivers, lakes, estuaries, groundwater, and coastal waters through catchment science and local community engagement.
As part of its efforts to scale up Nature-based Solutions (NbS), LAWPRO collaborates with international practitioners and participates in the European Innovation Partnership (EIP). LAWPRO is a key partner of ResiRiver and is currently making significant progress within the EIP programme.
The Farming for Water EIP
LAWPRO leads the Farming for Water EIP, which works directly with farmers, advisors, and trained agents to co-develop and implement measures that reduce losses of phosphorus, nitrogen, sediment, and, where relevant, pesticides from agricultural land.
The initiative promotes the adoption of innovative best practices in nutrient management and the application of NbS, including Natural Water Retention Measures (NWRM), following the principals of Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) and backed by science.
Scaling up NbS in rural areas
Within the ResiRiver project, LAWPRO is developing a model to scale up NbS water retention measures and provide payments to farmers for their implementation. This new approach focuses on a target catchment and, if successful, a wider roll out.
Collaboration with the Office of Public Works (OPW), Ireland’s Flood Risk Management Authority, is central to this effort. The aim is to build on the Farming for Water EIP framework to reward farmers for both water quality improvements and flood risk reduction.
Training and conferences
In support of the Farming for Water EIP, LAWPRO provides training on Integrated Catchment Management and Catchment Science including NbS for both urban and rural contexts. They also host the annual Irish National NbS conference, bringing together experts from Ireland and abroad to discuss the adoption and mainstreaming of urban, rural and coastal NbS.
The latest conference took place on 10-11 June 2026. Throughout these two days, there were presentations and discussions from a range of NbS experts, and workshops focusing on urban, farm and coastal restoration areas. Curious? All recordings of the Irish National NbS conferences supported by ResiRiver are available on this page!
Header photo: LAWPRO staff training on NbS with Inland Fisheries Ireland and Offaly County Council Staff working identifying Nature-based Solutions in Birr town, County Offaly - to slow the flow and treat urban runoff and protect the unique Croneen Trout indigenous to the Camcor River - drawing on learnings from ResiRiver.