Webinar planned for Rural Water Week

The National Federation of Group Water Schemes (NFGWS) is this week hosting a ‘Rural Water Week’ series of events to raise awareness of the contribution being made by community-owned drinking water supplies in Ireland.
Stating that ‘group water schemes work closely with their members and the wider community to protect, manage and maintain local drinking water supplies’, NFGWS Chief Executive Officer, Barry Deane said that ‘the purpose of Rural Water Week is to recognise the importance of this sector to rural communities and to highlight some of the innovative projects being championed by individual schemes’.
The week's activities include the launching of new initiatives on drinking water source protection and biodiversity enhancement. An online tool that allows householders to assess their water usage is designed to encourage water conservation, while a new GWS advisory document on the protection of biodiversity during capital works has been produced with the support of the National Biodiversity Data Centre.
Progress on the National Source Protection Pilot Project will feature as part of the week’s programme, with the launch of detailed guidance on specific measures that farmers might adopt to prevent contamination of drinking water sources. This GWS-led initiative involves 20 statutory agencies and voluntary organisation, working collaboratively with a group water scheme in County Monaghan and nine schemes in County Roscommon. 
On Wednesday and Thursday, a scheduled webinar will address major issues impacting on group schemes, the communities they serve and the wider environment.