How To Object
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has issued a consultation paper entitled Significant Water Management Issues (SWMI).
The closing date for responses is 18 June 2026.
You can view the documents here:
- SWMI Consultation Document
https://quarterlands.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Annex-A-Significant-Water-Management-Issues-SWMI-report-2025-Consultation-Document.pdf - Summary of Water Quality by Local Management Area
https://quarterlands.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Annex-Summary-of-water-quality-and-pressures-in-each-Local-Management-Area.pdf - Easy Read Version
https://quarterlands.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Significant-Water-Management-Issues-SWMI-report-2025-Easy-Read-Version.pdf
What the documents show
DAERA outlines the current condition of water quality across Northern Ireland’s rivers, lakes and coastal waters.
The picture that emerges is not reassuring.
- Water quality is declining
- Wastewater is identified as a major pressure
- Some treatment works are operating beyond capacity
- Storm overflows continue to discharge into rivers
These are not isolated issues. They are systemic.
What this means for the River Lagan
For those of us living in and around the Lagan Valley, this matters directly.
The River Lagan is not a series of separate areas. It is a single system:
- flowing from Lisburn
- through the Lagan Valley Regional Park
- into Belfast
- and on to Belfast Lough
What happens upstream does not stay upstream.
Additional loading from development, wastewater discharge and storm overflows moves through the river and accumulates downstream.
What we are seeing locally
Through our own work and Freedom of Information requests, a consistent picture is emerging:
- wastewater infrastructure is already under pressure
- data on storm overflows is largely modelled rather than measured
- sewage has been detected in local floodwater
- responses from NI Water are often unclear or difficult to reconcile
At the same time, development continues.
A simple question
If the system is already under strain, how can additional development have no impact?
A simple answer.
It cannot.
Why this consultation matters
Responses to this consultation will inform the next River Basin Management Plan (2028–2033).
This is the framework that will shape:
- how water quality is protected
- how pressures are managed
- and how decisions are made
If the issues are not clearly identified now, they will not be properly addressed later.
What needs to change
From our perspective, three things are essential:
- Recognition of cumulative impact
Not one development at a time, but the total load on the system - Transparency and real data
Not modelled assumptions, but measured reality - Infrastructure before development
If development creates demand, it must fund the infrastructure required
Have your say
This consultation is open to everyone.
You do not need to be an expert. You only need to care about the future of our rivers and waterways.
Don’t wait until further harm occurs
The River Lagan, the Lagan Valley and Belfast Lough are all part of the same system.
What we allow now will shape their future, we have to do better.
Respond before 18 June 2026.
SEE QUARTERLANDS RESPONSE HERE.