I am aware of concerns regarding discharges at Doldrum Bay in Howth, County Dublin. However, neither I nor my Department has any role in monitoring or supervising the delivery of water services or any pollution incidents arising therefrom.
Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels for public water services, including the delivery of water services capital infrastructure, encompassing the management of urban waste water collection and treatment infrastructure. All discharges to the aquatic environment from sewerage systems owned, managed and operated by Irish Water require a waste water discharge licence or certificate of authorisation from the Environ mental Protection Agency (EPA) and the authorisation process provides for the EPA to place stringent conditions on the operation of such discharges to ensure that potential effects on the receiving water bodies are strictly limited and controlled.
In relation to the pollution of water courses, the primary responsibility for ensuring prevention of pollution rests with the local authorities, which are in turn supervised by the EPA for this purpose. The Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts 1977 and 1990 carry a general prohibition on the entry of any polluting matter to waters. Any persons causing or permitting polluting matter to enter waters is liable on conviction on indictment to a fine not exceeding €15,000,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years, or both.
The EPA is the statutory body for investigating complaints of pollution and for the enforcement , both directly and through oversight of local authorities, of environmental legislation in Ireland. Details of all prosecutions taken by the EPA for pollution incidents and details of its enforcement activities are published on the EPA’s website (http://www.epa.ie/enforcement/ ).
