Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 1 Jun 1995

Vol. 453 No. 8

Written Answers. - Sewerage Discharges.

Kathleen Lynch

Ceist:

33 Kathleen Lynch asked the Minister for the Environment if his attention has been drawn to a recent survey by The Sunday Times indicating that sewage discharge guidelines have been breached by up to 110 times; the proposals, if any, he has to ensure that local authorities remain within the guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9990/95]

Minister for the Environment (Mr. Howlin)

National standards for urban waste water discharges are prescribed by the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992 (Urban Waste Water Treatment) Regulations, 1994. The implications of these Regulations for the planning, design and operation of sewage treatment facilities were communicated by my Department to local authorities earlier this year. Enforcement of the standards is a matter for the Environmental Protection Agency.

In accordance with the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC), the Regulations specify different timescales for the upgrading of treatment facilities, according to size of population discharge and the quality of receiving waters. An implementation programme to give effect to these requirements has recently been submitted by my Department to the European Commission. Copies of the programme are in the Oireachtas Library. The programme involves a continuation and expansion of the major investment already being made in improved treatment systems; such investment already accounts for some 70 per cent of the overall water and sewerage programme.

The newspaper report referred to in the question related in many cases to small sewage discharges to which the specific standards mentioned in the newspaper report do not apply. As required by the EU Directive, priority is given in the Irish implementation programme to the treatment of major polluting discharges. The total estimated cost of meeting the Directive's requirements is £1.2 billion.