Biological Q Stations
Biological Q Stations are a network of river monitoing stations throughout Ireland where river monitoring takes place on a 3 year cycle.
The river samples are analysed and an overall river quality value (Q-Value) is assigned to each river station. Ireland has a very large network of Monitoring Stations, of which, rivers stations are the most comprehensive.
Under the remit of EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), Directive 2000/60/EC, the WFD Monitoring Programme's objective is to prevent any further deterioration in status of surface waters, ground water and water dependant ecosystems and to restore polluted water bodies to at least "good status" by 2015.