Written Answers. - Water and Sewerage Schemes.
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:
367
Mr. Durkan
asked the
Minister for the Environment and Local Government
the number of sewage treatment plants here which are currently inadequate to meet requirements; his plans for their improvement; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[25170/00]
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:
370
Mr. Durkan
asked the
Minister for the Environment and Local Government
the degree to which adequate pressure exists in the public water supply in the various local authority areas here; his plans for improvement; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[25173/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 367 and 370 together.
The national development plan provides for expenditure of almost £3 billion over the period 2000-2006 on water and sewerage infrastructure. This includes £1.1 billion for wastewater schemes, £550 million for rehabilitation and management of water and wastewater infrastructure, £464 million for water and wastewater schemes to support economic and social activity and £420 million for the rural water programme. This is approximately three times the size of the expenditure for these services by comparison to the 1994-1999 period.
In July of this year I announced the first phase of a rolling three-year water services investment programme to cover the period 2000 to 2002, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library. The programme will be rolled forward by one year at a time up to the end of the national development plan. The schemes contained in the 2000-02 programme are drawn mainly from the results of the assessments completed by local authorities in response to my Department's request in October 1998 for all authorities to prepare and submit prioritised lists of the needs for capital water and sewerage works in their areas. The assessments, which have a medium-term horizon to the end of 2006 and a longer term horizon covering the 20 year period commencing in 1999, have helped to quantify the amount of investment needed to support future economic and social development, as reflected in the new national development plan.
The increased investment provided for water services infrastructure in the national development plan is an acceleration of the pattern of recent years which has seen spending on these schemes in 1999 increase by 50% over the 1998 figure and to twice the 1996 level. The expected out-turn for 2000 is a further increase to £335 million. The 2000-2002 programme provides for the ongoing construction of 79 major water and sewerage schemes, 113 schemes to commence construction in the years 2000-2002, 131 new schemes to begin planning and 206 schemes under the serviced land and rural towns and villages initiatives. Further schemes will be added to the programme each year up to 2006.
To assist in determining future water supply system development requirements, studies have been undertaken of all medium to large public water supplies to assess the adequacy of existing systems for the areas served and to formulate proposals for improving inadequate supplies to cater for existing and future demand. I will shortly be announcing significant additional funding to implement the recommendations of these studies.
In relation to rural water supplies, the Department has asked county councils, in consultation with the voluntary group sector, to prepare strategic rural water plans which will map out the best approach to the provision of adequate water supplies to households served by private group or individual supplies. As part of this process, an assessment will be made of existing levels of services, quality of sources and current and future demand.
Funding for urban wastewater infrastructure under the water services investment programme is focused on meeting the requirements of the urban waste water treatment directive. This requires that all wastewater discharges from systems with a population equivalent greater than 2,000 be treated by 31 December 2005. A more immediate deadline of end 2000 applies to treatment of discharges of 15,000 p.e., which covers all our major cities and towns, including Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Galway, Dundalk and Drogheda. Projects are well advanced in respect of all these areas which account for approximately 80% of all urban wastewater. The national development plan provides for an investment of £728 million to complete the 24 waste water schemes that are required by the end of 2000 while £421 million is being provided for 62 additional schemes to meet the 2005 requirements.
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:
368
Mr. Durkan
asked the
Minister for the Environment and Local Government
the number of sewage treatment plants in County Kildare which are currently insufficient to meet requirements or are otherwise in need of augmentation; his plans to address this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[25171/00]
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:
371
Mr. Durkan
asked the
Minister for the Environment and Local Government
if adequate pressure exists in the public water supply in all areas throughout County Kildare; his plans for improvement in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[25174/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 368 and 371 together.
The list of water and sewerage schemes identified by Kildare County Council in response to my Department's request to each local authority to undertake a fresh assessment of needs for capital work in its area and to prepare a prioritised list of projects based on the assessment, is the most up to date and complete statement of the council's current water and sewerage infrastructure requirements. The assessment was taken into account in the framing of the water services investment programme 2000-2002, announced in July, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library. This is the first phase of a rolling programme that will continue up to the end of the current national development plan in 2006. Further schemes will be added to the programme on an annual basis during that period.
