New data from 18 locations tracks Lough Neagh pollution and algae as Partnership warns “job is far from finished”

DAERA Minister Andrew Muir launches the second phase of the Lough Neagh Water Quality Dashboard in Ballyronan pictured with (L-R) Patrick Murphy, Lough Neagh Science Advice Branch, DAERA and Stephen Prentice, NIEA Freshwater Monitoring and Assessment.

Saturday 03 October 2026

An expanded public monitoring system is giving communities and scientists a much clearer picture of conditions across Lough Neagh — as those working around the lake warn that years of sustained action will still be needed to reverse its ecological decline.

DAERA has added monthly water chemistry, nutrient and algal data from nine shoreline locations to its Lough Neagh Water Quality Dashboard, bringing the total number of monitoring locations represented to 18.

The development comes after another difficult summer of blue-green algal blooms and amid a wider programme of government spending, agricultural measures, scientific monitoring and environmental projects intended to improve the health of the Lough.

A clearer picture of conditions across Lough Neagh

The nine additional shore monitoring locations are Ballyronan, Bartin’s Bay, Cranfield, Derryadd, Moore’s Point, Rea’s Wood, Stanierd’s Point, Toome Bridge and Washing Bay. Laboratory analysis provides information on nutrients including phosphorus, nitrate and nitrite, as well as chlorophyll-a and the abundance and composition of algae.

They complement three high-frequency monitoring stations in the Lough and probes on six principal tributaries — the Six Mile Water, Main, Moyola, Ballinderry, Blackwater and Upper Bann.

The in-Lough instruments take readings every 30 minutes for measures including temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and phycocyanin fluorescence, which can indicate changes in blue-green algae.

Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir MLA, is pictured with Gary McErlain, Gerry Darby, and Michael Meharg, of Lough Neagh Partnership.

Launching the expansion at a meeting of the Lough Neagh Stakeholder Forum in Ballyronan, Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir acknowledged the continuing impact of the crisis.

“It has been another challenging summer for algae blooms on the Lough and I share the frustration that those living and working around the Lough and across Northern Ireland have in witnessing this environmental crisis.

“We must do all we can to turn this around and scientific monitoring is key to understanding these bloom events, identifying where risks may emerge and protecting public health.”

Mr Muir said restoring the long-term ecological health of Lough Neagh was possible if decisions followed scientific evidence, adding that the expanded dashboard would provide a fuller picture and help measure progress over time.

Partnership says progress must become measurable improvement

Lough Neagh Partnership has welcomed the wider programme of work being taken forward under the Minister, while stressing that recurring blue-green algal blooms remain a serious problem and recovery will require sustained intervention.

The work centres on the 37-point Lough Neagh Report and Action Plan approved by the Northern Ireland Executive in July 2024, built around education, incentivisation, regulation and enforcement.

The Partnership says DAERA reports that 23 actions have been delivered, with 14 progressing. The Action Plan itself was welcomed by the Partnership when it received Executive approval in 2024, although it cautioned then that implementation would be the critical test.

Gerry Darby, Manager of Lough Neagh Partnership, said:

“Lough Neagh Partnership has consistently argued that the scale of the crisis facing Lough Neagh requires leadership, long-term investment, sound science and practical action throughout the entire catchment.

“We recognise the substantial programme of work Minister Andrew Muir has advanced since taking responsibility for DAERA.

“We should also be clear that the job is far from finished. Blue-green algal blooms remain a serious problem, and reversing decades of ecological decline will require sustained effort over many years. Continued investment in agriculture, wastewater infrastructure, habitat restoration, science, regulation and enforcement will all be needed.”

Millions committed across the Lough Neagh catchment

Among the longer-term measures is a £49.3 million (€56.7 million) Lough Neagh Catchment Area Water Quality Programme, supported through the Government of Ireland’s Shared Island Initiative and DAERA and scheduled to run from 2027 to 2031.

The programme is intended to support measures across the catchment including watercourse fencing, riparian margins, tree and hedge planting, livestock watering systems, farm advice, research and improved monitoring.

Agriculture is another major focus. Lough Neagh Partnership has managed two Environmental Group Farm Schemes supported by DAERA, working with farmers on measures intended to reduce environmental pressures around the Lough.

The Partnership says the schemes have produced 100 farm nutrient plans and brought more than £5.16 million in environmental investment to the wider area. DAERA confirmed in August that participating farmers would be eligible to continue their work with assistance from the Partnership.

£700,000 support for eel fishing industry

Gary McErlain, Chair of the Lough Neagh Partnership

The environmental crisis also continues to have economic consequences for communities whose livelihoods depend on Lough Neagh.

Lough Neagh Partnership Chair and seventh-generation eel fisherman Gary McErlain has welcomed a £700,000 funding package for Lough Neagh eel fishermen, to be distributed over three years, while warning that it should be regarded as mitigation rather than a solution to the industry’s financial pressures.

“As a commercial Lough Neagh eel fisherman, I welcome the announcement of this much needed funding which I understand forms part of a wider package developed between the Lough Neagh Fishermen’s Cooperative and DAERA officials, with the various elements intended to work together to support the future of the fishery and Lough Neagh.”

The wider package includes direct support for fishermen, a cap on the permitted catch of silver eels through the Cooperative, scientific testing of brown eels and continued work on elver recruitment into Lough Neagh.

Mr McErlain added:

“The funding should be viewed as a mitigation measure rather than an overall financial solution,” while highlighting continuing pollution and the need to protect the future of the fishing industry.

What the new data can and cannot tell the public

The expanded dashboard gives the public access to information which can be viewed online and downloaded for further analysis. Monthly shore-site data are available from 2025, with monitoring continuing during 2026.

However, DAERA cautions that individual results show conditions at a particular monitoring location and time and should not automatically be regarded as representative of the entire Lough. Crucially, the dashboard is an environmental information resource and does not confirm that water is safe for swimming, recreation or other water-contact activities.

The expanded Lough Neagh Water Quality Dashboard is available here.

For the communities, fishermen and organisations around Lough Neagh, the greater availability of data means attention can increasingly turn from what measures have been announced to whether they are producing measurable improvements. With blue-green algal blooms continuing, the monitoring results over the coming years will provide an increasingly important test of whether interventions across the catchment are translating into a healthier Lough.