Water Environment (Abstractions and Associated Impoundments) Act 2022

Bill entitled an Act to provide for the regulation of water abstractions and their associated impoundments; to give further effect to 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; to provide for the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to regulate water abstractions not requiring a licence; to provide for the Minister to make regulations to exempt certain categories of water abstraction from certain requirements of the Act; to provide for the establishment of a register of water abstractions; to provide for licensing of water abstractions; to provide for the Minister to specify by order the daily rate of an abstraction that requires registration and licensing; to provide for the conferral of licensing and certain enforcement functions on the Environmental Protection Agency; to give further effect to Directive No. 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment amended by Directive 2014/52/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014; to provide for Irish Water to carry out abstractions for the purpose of the performance of its functions; to provide for certain temporary and emergency abstractions required to be carried out by Irish Water and for those abstractions to be exempt from certain requirements of the Act; to provide for compensation for certain abstractions carried out by Irish Water; to provide for abstractions by Irish Water from reservoirs of the Electricity Supply Board; to provide for particular arrangements relating to abstractions from canals or navigable waters; to confer certain enforcement functions on local authorities; to repeal the Water Supplies Act 1942 and certain provisions of the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Act 1964 and the Local Government (Water Pollution) Act 1977 and to revoke the European Union (Water Policy) (Abstractions Registration) Regulations 2018 (S.I. No. 261 of 2018); to amend the Canals Act 1986, the Shannon Navigation Act 1990 and the Planning and Development Act 2000; and to provide for related matters.

Last updated: 20 Dec 2022

Sponsored by: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

Source: Government

Originating House: Seanad Éireann