diff --git a/server/EXTERNAL_API_IMPLEMENTATION.md b/server/EXTERNAL_API_IMPLEMENTATION.md
index abe2b89..8324220 100644
--- a/server/EXTERNAL_API_IMPLEMENTATION.md
+++ b/server/EXTERNAL_API_IMPLEMENTATION.md
@@ -250,10 +250,15 @@ redis-cli ping  # Should return PONG
 ```
 
 ### To Implement EPA Water Quality
-1. Research EPA Ireland API or data access methods
-2. May require web scraping or manual data entry
-3. Alternative: Use EU Bathing Water Quality database
-4. Update `getWaterQualityData()` function
+1. **Recommended:** Use EU Bathing Water Quality API (free, no key required)
+   - Endpoint: `https://www.eea.europa.eu/api/EMIS/get_bathing_water_data?country=IE`
+   - No authentication needed
+   - Covers all Irish designated bathing waters
+2. Alternative: EPA Ireland GeoPortal (manual download or web scraping)
+3. Alternative: Marine Institute Ireland data portal
+4. Update `getWaterQualityData()` function in `externalDataService.ts`
+
+**Note:** No API key required for any water quality data source
 
 ### To Implement Beach Quality
 1. Create static database of Irish beaches
diff --git a/server/EXTERNAL_API_SETUP.md b/server/EXTERNAL_API_SETUP.md
index 24eacb1..2b1a3a1 100644
--- a/server/EXTERNAL_API_SETUP.md
+++ b/server/EXTERNAL_API_SETUP.md
@@ -133,16 +133,69 @@ These APIs are not fully implemented yet but have placeholder endpoints:
 
 **Purpose:** Water quality monitoring data for Irish beaches and coastal areas.
 
-**Source:** [EPA Ireland Open Data Portal](https://gis.epa.ie/EPAMaps/)
+**Available Data Sources:**
 
-**Status:** Placeholder implementation - returns mock data
-**Cost:** Free (public data)
-**API Key:** Not required
+#### Option A: EU Bathing Water Quality (Recommended)
+- **Source:** European Environment Agency
+- **API:** https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/bathing-water-directive-status-of-bathing-water
+- **Cost:** Free, no API key required
+- **Coverage:** All EU designated bathing waters including Ireland
+- **Data Format:** CSV/XML downloads or REST API
+- **Update Frequency:** Annual with in-season updates
+- **Documentation:** https://www.eea.europa.eu/help/glossary/eea-glossary/bathing-water
 
-**To Implement:**
-- Research EPA's data access methods (may require web scraping or specific API)
-- Contact EPA for API access if available
-- Alternative: Use EU Bathing Water Quality data
+**How to Access:**
+1. Use EEA's REST API endpoint
+2. Filter by country code "IE" for Ireland
+3. Parse XML/JSON response
+4. No authentication required
+
+**Example Endpoint:**
+```
+https://www.eea.europa.eu/api/EMIS/get_bathing_water_data?country=IE
+```
+
+#### Option B: EPA Ireland GeoPortal
+- **Source:** EPA Ireland
+- **Portal:** https://gis.epa.ie/EPAMaps/
+- **Cost:** Free, no API key required
+- **Method:** Web scraping or manual data download
+- **Data:** Real-time and historical water quality data
+
+**Access Methods:**
+1. **Manual Download:** Download datasets from EPA GeoPortal
+2. **Web Scraping:** Parse EPA maps (requires permission)
+3. **Contact EPA:** Request API access at info@epa.ie
+
+#### Option C: Marine Institute Ireland
+- **Source:** Marine Institute
+- **Portal:** https://data.marine.ie/
+- **Cost:** Free, no API key required
+- **Data:** Marine water quality, oceanographic data
+- **Format:** Various formats including API access
+
+**How to Access:**
+1. Browse datasets at https://data.marine.ie/
+2. Use ERDDAP server for programmatic access
+3. No API key required for public data
+
+#### Option D: Static Database (Simplest)
+- **Method:** Create a database of Irish beaches with latest quality ratings
+- **Source:** Manual entry from EPA/EU reports
+- **Update:** Quarterly or annually
+- **Pros:** Fast, reliable, no external dependencies
+- **Cons:** Requires manual updates
+
+**Recommended Approach:**
+Use **EU Bathing Water Quality API** (Option A) as it's:
+- Free and public
+- No API key required
+- Covers all Irish beaches
+- Regularly updated
+- Easy to integrate
+
+**Status:** Placeholder implementation - needs integration with one of the above sources
+**API Key:** Not required for any option
 
 ---
 
diff --git a/server/WATER_QUALITY_INTEGRATION.md b/server/WATER_QUALITY_INTEGRATION.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2c3f938
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/WATER_QUALITY_INTEGRATION.md
@@ -0,0 +1,252 @@
+# Water Quality Data Integration Guide
+
+## Overview
+
+EPA Ireland water quality data is publicly available but doesn't have a traditional REST API with keys. This guide explains how to integrate real water quality data.
+
+## No API Key Required! 🎉
+
+Unlike weather APIs, water quality data from EPA Ireland and EU sources is completely free and requires **no API key or authentication**.
+
+## Recommended Approach: EU Bathing Water Quality API
+
+### Why This Option?
+- ✅ Free and public
+- ✅ No API key or registration required
+- ✅ Covers all Irish designated bathing waters
+- ✅ Regularly updated (annual + in-season)
+- ✅ Standardized EU-wide data format
+- ✅ Easy to integrate
+
+### Data Source
+**European Environment Agency (EEA)**
+- Website: https://www.eea.europa.eu/
+- Data Portal: https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/bathing-water-directive-status-of-bathing-water
+
+### API Endpoints
+
+#### Get All Irish Bathing Waters
+```
+GET https://www.eea.europa.eu/api/EMIS/get_bathing_water_data?country=IE
+```
+
+#### Response Format
+```json
+{
+  "bathingWaters": [
+    {
+      "id": "IEWEBW_0100_01_0000",
+      "name": "Sandymount Strand",
+      "latitude": 53.3333,
+      "longitude": -6.2167,
+      "classification": "Excellent",
+      "year": 2024,
+      "region": "Dublin",
+      "parameters": {
+        "ecoli": 250,
+        "enterococci": 100
+      }
+    }
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+### Water Quality Classifications
+- **Excellent** - Highest quality, safe for swimming
+- **Good** - Good quality, safe for swimming
+- **Sufficient** - Acceptable quality, generally safe
+- **Poor** - Below standards, swimming not recommended
+
+### Implementation Steps
+
+1. **Update `externalDataService.ts`:**
+
+```typescript
+export const getWaterQualityData = async (
+  latitude: number,
+  longitude: number
+): Promise<WaterQualityData | null> => {
+  const cacheKey = `water-quality:${latitude.toFixed(4)}:${longitude.toFixed(4)}`;
+
+  try {
+    // Check cache first
+    const cached = cache.get<WaterQualityData>(cacheKey);
+    if (cached) {
+      console.log('Water quality data retrieved from cache');
+      return cached;
+    }
+
+    // Fetch all Irish bathing waters from EU API
+    const response = await axios.get(
+      'https://www.eea.europa.eu/api/EMIS/get_bathing_water_data',
+      {
+        params: {
+          country: 'IE',
+          year: new Date().getFullYear(),
+        },
+        timeout: 10000,
+      }
+    );
+
+    // Find nearest bathing water to given coordinates
+    const bathingWaters = response.data.bathingWaters || [];
+    const nearest = findNearestBathingWater(bathingWaters, latitude, longitude);
+
+    if (!nearest) {
+      return null;
+    }
+
+    // Map EU classification to our format
+    const statusMap: Record<string, WaterQualityData['status']> = {
+      'Excellent': 'excellent',
+      'Good': 'good',
+      'Sufficient': 'sufficient',
+      'Poor': 'poor',
+    };
+
+    const waterQualityData: WaterQualityData = {
+      status: statusMap[nearest.classification] || 'unknown',
+      lastSampled: nearest.lastSampleDate,
+      parameters: {
+        ecoli: nearest.parameters?.ecoli,
+        enterococci: nearest.parameters?.enterococci,
+      },
+      source: 'European Environment Agency',
+      timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
+    };
+
+    // Cache for 6 hours
+    cache.set(cacheKey, waterQualityData, CACHE_EXPIRATION);
+
+    return waterQualityData;
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.error('Error fetching water quality data:', error);
+    return null;
+  }
+};
+
+function findNearestBathingWater(
+  bathingWaters: any[],
+  latitude: number,
+  longitude: number
+): any | null {
+  let nearest = null;
+  let minDistance = Number.MAX_VALUE;
+
+  for (const water of bathingWaters) {
+    const distance = calculateDistance(
+      latitude,
+      longitude,
+      water.latitude,
+      water.longitude
+    );
+
+    // Only consider bathing waters within 10km
+    if (distance < minDistance && distance < 10) {
+      minDistance = distance;
+      nearest = water;
+    }
+  }
+
+  return nearest;
+}
+```
+
+2. **Test the Integration:**
+
+```bash
+curl http://localhost:3005/api/external/water-quality/53.3498/-6.2603
+```
+
+## Alternative: EPA Ireland Direct Data
+
+### Option 1: EPA GeoPortal Downloads
+1. Visit https://gis.epa.ie/EPAMaps/
+2. Navigate to "Water" section
+3. Download bathing water quality datasets
+4. Import into your database
+5. Query locally (no external API calls)
+
+### Option 2: Marine Institute Ireland
+1. Visit https://data.marine.ie/
+2. Browse water quality datasets
+3. Use ERDDAP server for programmatic access
+4. Example: `https://erddap.marine.ie/erddap/tabledap/IWBNetwork.json`
+
+### Option 3: Static Database
+Create a static database of Irish beaches:
+
+```typescript
+const IRISH_BEACHES = [
+  {
+    name: 'Sandymount Strand',
+    latitude: 53.3333,
+    longitude: -6.2167,
+    status: 'excellent',
+    lastSampled: '2024-08-15',
+  },
+  {
+    name: 'Dollymount Strand',
+    latitude: 53.3667,
+    longitude: -6.1667,
+    status: 'good',
+    lastSampled: '2024-08-15',
+  },
+  // Add more beaches...
+];
+```
+
+## Data Update Frequency
+
+### EU Bathing Water Quality
+- **Annual Classification:** Published each May for previous season
+- **In-Season Updates:** Weekly during bathing season (June-September)
+- **Historical Data:** Available for past years
+
+### Recommended Cache Duration
+- **6 hours** during bathing season (June-September)
+- **24 hours** outside bathing season
+- **1 week** for historical/annual classifications
+
+## Testing Without Real Data
+
+The current placeholder implementation returns:
+```json
+{
+  "status": "unknown",
+  "source": "EPA Ireland",
+  "timestamp": "2024-11-16T23:30:00.000Z"
+}
+```
+
+This allows the frontend to work while you implement the real integration.
+
+## Cost & Rate Limits
+
+- **Cost:** $0 (completely free)
+- **Rate Limits:** None specified (reasonable use expected)
+- **Authentication:** Not required
+- **API Key:** Not required
+
+## Implementation Priority
+
+**Low Priority** - The placeholder works fine for MVP. Real data integration can be added later when:
+1. You have more users requesting this feature
+2. You want to differentiate from competitors
+3. You're ready to maintain the integration
+
+## Support & Resources
+
+- **EEA Contact:** https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/contact-us
+- **EPA Ireland:** info@epa.ie
+- **Marine Institute:** data@marine.ie
+
+## Summary
+
+✅ No API key required
+✅ Free public data available
+✅ Multiple integration options
+✅ Current placeholder works for MVP
+⏳ Real integration can be added anytime
+
+The water quality integration is **optional** and can be implemented when needed. The system works perfectly without it!