Vol. 464 No. 3
73 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for the Environment the grants, if any, that have been allocated for water leakage control in Westport, County Mayo; the total national budget for this measure; the other areas that have been approved; the amount sought by the local authorities to prevent water leakage in Westport; and if he has satisfied himself that the grant allocated will eliminate the water leakage problem. [8153/96]
74 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for the Environment if he has satisfied himself that Westport, County Mayo, will have sufficient treated water to cater for demands in 1996 in order that it will not be necessary to rely on tankers of water being transported into the town in view of the industrial and tourism projects completed since the water shortages of 1995. [8154/96]
76 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for the Environment if his attention was drawn to the fact that a water shortage and lack of infrastructural support to supply necessary demand was evident in Westport, County Mayo; if so, when; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8156/96]
78 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for the Environment the figures for water supply and water demand on a monthly basis for each of the years 1994 and 1995 and to date in 1996 for Westport, County Mayo; the projected best case and worst case supply and demand scenario for the remainder of 1996 and for each of the years from 1997 to 2000 when proper consultation with industrial, commercial and tourism interests is taken into account: and the way in which his Department liaises with local councils regarding the implementation of proposals which will cater for this increased demand. [8158/96]
79 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for the Environment the organisation that carried out the economic assessment referred to in his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 157 of 2 April 1996; whether he will furnish Deputy Hughes with a copy of this assessment nothing that Mayo County Council was not asked to prepare a cost benefit analysis; and the factors that must be present to allow for a higher cost benefit ratio in order that a future application for cohesion funding will be successful. [8159/96]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 73, 74, 76, 78 and 79 together. Last week, I approved Mayo County Council's proposals for the augmentation of the Westport water supply at an estimated cost of £2.25 million. Construction is expected to commence later this year and the project will, on commissioning, provide an additional 400,000 gallons of treated water daily. The scheme is also designed to facilitate the delivery of a further 600,000 gallons per day to Westport to meet anticipated future demand.
Water conservation measures are an integral part of water supply projects funded under my Department's water services programme and no specific sum has been set aside for this purpose. However, in the context of proposed new water supply improvement schemes at a number of cities and large towns, major conservation programmes are under way in Dublin, Galway, Waterford and Wexford; expenditure on these in 1996 is estimated at over £3 million.
