Groundwater (Prohibition of Discharge to Groundwater Bodies) Regulations, 2023.

The scopes of these regulations are to transpose Article 11(3)(g) of the Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for community action in the field of water policy and to establish a legal prohibition of pollutant discharges to any body of groundwater.
The Regulations provide that any person who undertakes, or causes to be undertaken, any activity which consists of or results either in a direct discharge or may lead to the indirect discharge of pollutants to groundwater shall be guilty of an offence. If the illegal activity occurs within a groundwater safeguard zone the person who commits it shall on conviction be liable to a fine.
The Court may, notwithstanding any punishment to which it may impose on the offender, order the decommissioning and, or sealing of any structure or infrastructure located above or underground used in carrying out the activity to be undertaken at the offender’s expense, and may further order the confiscation of any equipment used in the carrying out of said activity.
Where the illegal activity takes place at ground surface, the Court shall, notwithstanding any punishment to which it may impose on the offender, order any necessary environmental remediation including any required removal and disposal to be carried out at the offender’s expense.
The Schedule attached to this Regulations define the pollutants for its own purpose.