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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 10 Dec 2002

Vol. 559 No. 1

Written Answers. - EU Directives.

Eamon Gilmore

Ceist:

417 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the progress being made to implement the water framework directive; the plans in place to carry out a full inventory of water sources and supplies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25520/02]

The water framework directive is a complex directive requiring the co-ordination of a wide range of actions by authorities with functions in relation to water management. The implementation of the directive is being promoted and co-ordinated at national level by a co-ordination group of officials of Departments and other authorities involved in water management. In addition to co-ordination at national level, officials of my Department and other authorities are participating in working groups, research projects and other initiatives to promote consistent and co-ordinated implementation of the WFD at regional level, on a North-South basis, in the UK generally and in the European Community.

My Department is promoting, in particular, the establishment by local authorities of regional projects to develop river basin monitoring and management systems and to provide the bulk of the baseline data required for implementation of the directive and for development of river basin management plans. Two such projects have already been fully approved in relation to the South-eastern region and the Shannon river basin and are being funded by my Department. Major projects have also been approved in principle for the establishment of river basin management projects in relation to the western region and the eastern region and proposals for both of these projects are currently under consideration by my Department. A proposal for the south-west region is expected in the near future. A website is being developed by my Department to facilitate public access to information on the implementation of the directive and measures are being taken to promote and facilitate participation in such implementation by all interested persons.
The directive lays down a timetable for full implementation by 2015 on a phased basis with a series of intermediate deadlines. The first deadline occurs in December 2003 and requires the identification of river basins, river basin districts and the competent authorities in each RBD as well as the transposition of the directive into national law. It is likely that some seven RBDs will be established to cover all areas, including cross-Border river basins, and discussions are at an advanced stage with authorities in Northern Ireland in this regard. A second implementation deadline occurs in December 2004 and requires the "characterisation" of water resources to indicate,inter alia, the location and boundaries of all water bodies and to identify those which are used as sources of drinking water. This process will be assisted by the national water study undertaken by my Department and completed in 2000, which involved a comprehensive national audit of public water supplies serving more than 5,000 consumers. It will also be assisted by the review of the greater Dublin strategic water study, also concluded in 2000, and by the extensive work currently under way under the rural water programme in relation to group water schemes.
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