Image: A restored peatland site in Clooneey, Co. Offaly.

The WET-PEAT (‘Re-wetting of peatlands for enhanced restoration’) project, which supports the work of Bord na Móna in their restoration of over 33,000 hectares of peatlands, comprises researchers from the University of Galway and Trinity College Dublin. WET-PEAT is applying state-of-the-art modelling techniques to a representative selection of Ireland’s peatlands to provide additional insight into how restoration measures may be enhanced.

To date, five sites in the midlands of Ireland have been identified for the study: Castlegar, Ballycon, Clooneey, Ballaghurt, and All Saints.

The project team, along with key Bord na Móna staff, have visited the sites and have identified optimum locations where monitoring for water flow and water quality will be conducted over the project duration. Over time, these data, along with historical measurements at each peatland, will be synthesised by the project team to calibrate and validate advanced hydrological and water quality models, and to conduct modelling of the impact of alternative management strategies.