Vol. 501 No. 4
13 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the way in which he has assessed the projected requirement in respect of domestic water supply over the next ten years; the extra water supplies needed; the extent to which available supplies have been enhanced in the past ten years; if domestic water requirements have been measured against the projected population increase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6225/99]
129 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the way in which he will address the ever increasing demand for domestic water supply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6473/99]
131 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the plans, if any, to provide adequate domestic water supply to all regions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6475/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 129 and 131 together.
At the end of January, I announced my Department's water and sewerage services investment programme for 1999, which contains a range of measures to expand water supply infrastructure to meet domestic and industrial demand, to improve treatment and to conserve water supplies. This year's provision of over £275 million for water and sewerage services represents a 50 per cent increase on expenditure on these services in 1998 and is more than double the provision for these services in 1996. Between 1994 and the end of 1999 over £960 million will have been spent on water and sewerage services which, even allowing for adjustments for inflation, is well in excess of the £605 million envisaged in the National Development Plan 1994-1999.
This 1999 programme includes 18 major public water schemes to commence construction this year at a cost of £61 million, a further 16 to continue construction at a cost of £79 million and 27 schemes worth £152 million to be advanced through planning. This year's programme also includes 15 water conservation schemes with a total cost of just under £50 million – 13 of these are already under way and the remaining two will commence in the short-term.
My Department has funded a series of studies, undertaken on behalf of local authorities, over the past few years to assess existing levels of service in water supplies and to estimate future demand, taking account of parameters such as population increases and projected industrial and commercial development, with a view to determining the extent of future development of the water supply systems. A major study was completed in 1996 on the water supplies in the greater Dublin region, including counties Kildare and Wicklow. Studies have also been carried out in other cities and several other major population centres. These studies form the basis for the water conservation programme being funded by my Department.
I have also commissioned consultants to carry out a national water audit, entailing the collection and analysis of data for the medium to large public water supplies which have not yet been the subject of a study, to assess the adequacy of existing systems for each area served and to make recommendations as to the appropriate approach for improving inadequate supplies to cater for existing and future demand. The consultants are due to report by the end of this year.
