One fifth of country's groundwater contaminated

The agriculture sector is contributing to the country's waterways becoming more polluted.

A report from the Environmental Protection Agency shows more than half of the country's lakes, rivers and estuaries are in poor condition. Rivers overall have seen more improvements than declines over the past year, while the environment watchdog is still worried about the upward trend of nitrate in the water supplies. Over 20 percent of groundwater has been contaminated - which is a source of drinking water and putting some supplies around the country under threat. The EPA says there are agriculture schemes to encourage farmers to be more green - but the body wants more to be done to help tackle pollution.