As today is World Water Day, it's fitting that I've announced €1.2 million for projects to improve water quality! The Community Water Development fund supports the grassroots work of local communities and volunteer groups in raising awareness of our rivers, lakes and streams and the biodiversity they support.
The €700,000 in grant allocations announced today will fund 155 projects across the country, with proposals for everything from river restoration to raingarden installation, along with surveys, nature corridors and the removal of invasive species. I'm especially pleased to announce funding for two fantastic initiatives in Carlow and two in Kilkenny, with the brilliant Drummin Bog Project, Tullow Tidy Towns and Climate Action Committee, Nore Vision and the Acorn Project behind them.
I've also announced today a new €500,000 Catchment Support Fund. This will help NGOs working on water quality to develop and strengthen the skills, processes and resources they need to grow, and it's now open for applications.
Across both streams of funding, every single project is another step towards achieving our collective goal of improving Ireland's water quality. Happy World Water Day!