Major capital investment by successive Governments over the past 60 years has greatly increased the storage capacity of our public water supply schemes. The 1991 Census recorded that over 85 per cent of households in Ireland had a piped supply of domestic water from public or group schemes. In terms of quality, the latest EPA report on Irish drinking water confirms the fundamentally good quality of Irish drinking water.
To meet future needs in relation to domestic water suppy, a major investment programme to upgrade and extend public and private water supplies is under way. Since the start of the National Development Plan in 1994, over £217 million has been expended on this programme. The recently announced investment programme for water and sewerage services, which provides for an overall increase in spending for 1998 or 13 per cent over 1997, will allow for further improvements in public and group water supplies. As part of this investment programme, funding is provided for subprogrammes dealing with leakage reduction and rural water supplies.
Economic progress in Ireland has meant there is an increasing demand for good quality water supplies for both industrial and domestic purposes. The Government is providing the investment to ensure that this demand is met and that Ireland will continue to enjoy a modern, efficient water supply system.
