Hydrometric and Hydrological Data

www.waterlevel.ie contains real time water level data recorded at hydrometric gauging stations operated by the OPW. The OPW presently operates surface water gauging stations at over 380 river, lake and tidal locations nationwide and water level data from the majority of these stations are now available in real time.

www.waterlevel.ie disseminates near real time and quality assessed hydrometric data (water level and river flow) from the OPW National Hydrometric Archive. This includes data from both active and inactive OPW gauging stations. The data from gauging stations operated by the OPW is derived from continuous measurement of surface water levels. At the majority of the sites, the quantity of flow can also be estimated through application of a site specific rating curve (known as a stage discharge relationship) developed from a series of flow measurements taken on an ongoing basis.

Along with general station information, quality assessed water level and flow data is presented in various commonly used formats including:

• daily mean water level and flow data
• water level and flow duration curves
• annual maxima water level and flow series
• summary statistics including duration percentiles and average annual mean values

The OPW, together with local authorities and Waterways Ireland own, operate and maintain the vast majority of the existing surface water hydrometric network in Ireland. The EPA provides assistance in collecting data from local authority gauges and in the quality assurance, archiving and dissemination of this data. The EPA also maintains the Register of Hydrometric Stations in Ireland. Please go to access-hydrometric-data for further information on hydrometric data collection and dissemination in Ireland.

The aim of the Flood Studies Update (FSU) Programme is the development of new or recalibrated flood estimation methods to significantly improve flood estimation for the purposes of flood risk management. Following the completion of a comprehensive research programme, work is now underway on designing and developing a web-based applications portal to implement extreme rainfall and flood estimation computations at river locations in Ireland, based on the methodologies that have been developed.

The FSU Web Portal is a key output of the Flood Studies Update (FSU) Programme that was initiated, managed and funded by the OPW and is a substantial update of the Flood Studies Report (NERC, 1975) which provided methodologies for flood estimation in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The rainfall and flood estimations methodologies that derive from the FSU Programme are now implemented in the FSU Web Portal.

The Portal facilitates the estimation of flood flows, extreme depths and other hydrological variables at approximately 134,000 river locations / nodes in the Republic of Ireland using a series of algorithms and location / node-specific parameters. The OPW will undertake day-to-day management of the Portal together with periodic updates of the associated methodologies and improvements.

The objective of the Flood Emergency Response Planning Project is to assist the development and implementation of effective flood emergency response and recovery plans by the local authorities so as to minimise the impacts and damages caused by flood events.

Hydrology Ireland is supported and maintained by the OPW for the Irish National Committees for the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) and the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), acts as a focal point for hydrology in Ireland. It is updated on a regular basis to provide access to hydrological data and current information on recently published papers, seminars, conferences and other events.