Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 May 2022
268. Deputy Joe O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the procedures that are in place to ensure that wastewater treatment plants do not operate over their relevant population equivalent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28086/22]
View answerWith effect from 1 January 2014, 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. Irish Water’s primary function is to provide clean safe drinking water to customers and to treat and return waste water safely to the environment.
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 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 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. This is in line with the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive which sets out requirements for the collection, treatment and discharge of urban waste water with the objective of protecting the environment from the adverse effects of waste water discharges.
The EPA is the key statutory body for investigating complaints of pollution and for the enforcement, both directly and through oversight of Irish Water and local authorities, of environmental legislation in Ireland, including compliance in relation to licensed urban waste water discharges.
As part of Budget 2022, I secured funding of over €1.57 billion to support water services. This includes €1.459 billion (Current €629m and Capital €830m) in respect of domestic water services provision by Irish Water.
The overall investment will deliver significant improvements in our public water and waste water services, support improved water supplies right across Ireland, including rural Ireland, and support a range of programmes delivering improved water quality in our rivers, lakes and marine area. It is key to addressing Ireland's shortcomings in water and waste water infrastructure including compliance with the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 1890 578 578.
