Vol. 550 No. 5
138 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government when action will be taken by his Department to deal with the problems identified in the EPA drinking water quality report for 2000, particularly in relation to Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9615/02]
I refer to the reply to Question No. 714 on 31 January 2002. Statutory responsibility for the provision of drinking water supplies and for upholding the prescribed quality standards rests with sanitary authorities. Stringent quality standards are prescribed in the European Communities (Quality of Water Intended for Human Consumption) Regulations, 1988. The duty placed on sanitary authorities to ensure that drinking water meets these standards is performed under the general supervision of the EPA. Information on drinking water supplies in Kilkenny and elsewhere is contained in the EPA report on The Quality of Drinking Water in Ireland 1998-2000, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library. This indicates that, with some exceptions such as the Kilkenny City supply, the overall quality of public water supplies in Kilkenny was satisfactory.
The upgrading of the Kilkenny City supply is amongst the projects approved under my Department's water services investment programme 2000 – 2002, at an estimated cost of €8.25 million. Planning of the scheme is progressing. A brief for the appointment of a consultant to prepare a preliminary report has been submitted to my Department by Kilkenny County Council for approval and will be dealt with as quickly as possible.
Deficiencies were identified in respect of approximately half of the group water schemes monitored in Kilkenny in 2000. The major drive under way to tackle quality problems in this sector is detailed in the reply to Question No. 714 of 31 January 2002.
