Vol. 495 No. 1
52 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the current daily use of the domestic water supply for the country; the amount of water available daily for domestic consumption; whether sufficient supplies are available for domestic purposes in view of the increased industrial use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19403/98]
The 1996 report on the State of the Environment in Ireland, prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency, estimates that the total water produced by public water supply schemes is about 284 million gallons per day. An additional 11 million gallons per day is provided by group schemes. Some 130,000 households have their own individual supplies. The report estimates that domestic water requirements amount to approximately 55 gallons of water per person per day which would give total potential domestic usage of some 200 million gallons a day and usage by manufacturing industry is estimated at 53 million gallons a day. The remaining water produced would be accounted for mainly by commercial and agricultural users. The Agency's 1996 report on the Quality of Drinking Water in Ireland contains information in relation to the daily usage for most of the public drinking water supplies monitored.
Substantial investment has been made over the period of the current national development plan to upgrade and extend public and private water supplies. Since the start of 1994, capital expenditure on public and group water supplies has exceeded £270 million. This investment has facilitated the provision of an additional 35 million gallons of treated water in public water supplies between the start of 1994 and the end of last year.
National aggregate figures for water supply are not of great use for the purposes of planning investment, as this must be done by reference to the supply and demand position in each of the many areas covered by separate existing supply systems. Major studies have already been carried out into the water supply position and future requirements, including the demand from domestic, industrial, commercial and other users, in a number of areas including the Dublin region, and Galway and Waterford cities. Similar studies in Cork and Limerick and a national water study, all currently under way, will provide the same information for the 120 or so remaining medium to large water supplies. All of these studies are expected to be completed by the end of next year.
