The planning of waste water facilities for local areas is the responsibility of the relevant local authorities, having regard, inter alia, to the provisions of the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992 (Urban Waste Water Treatment) Regulations, 1994, which give effect to Council Directive 91/271/EEC. A list of the towns and villages referred to in the question and their treatment facilities is not available in my Department. However, information on the present level of treatment of discharges from agglomerations with population equivalents greater than or equal to 2,000 is contained in Appendix A of the report of the Environmental Protection Agency on urban waste water discharges in Ireland for the years 1994 and 1995.
The regulations do not require the provision of more stringent treatment than secondary treatment except in the case of towns in excess of 10,000 population equivalent within the catchment of water bodies identified as sensitive under the terms of the directive. The lakes referred to have not been so identified. It is, however, my Department's policy to approve funding for higher standards of treatment where local circumstances may so require. In this context phosphorous reduction facilities are being provided in the Claremorris sewerage scheme which will drain into Lough Mask. Mayo County Council's proposals to proceed to have work commenced in this scheme, which has an estimated total cost of £5.8 million, were recently approved.