Vol. 572 No. 6
377 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government the status of an application from Westmeath County Council for finance to erect a water reservoir at Croughill, Loughnavalley, County Westmeath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24239/03]
The provision of a new reservoir at Coolatore, which will serve Loughnavalley and surrounding areas, is an element of the south Westmeath regional water supply scheme, phase 1. The scheme is included in my Department's water services investment programme 2003-05 to commence construction in 2004. My Department is awaiting the submission by Westmeath County Council of a certified water abstraction order to facilitate further consideration of the preliminary report for the scheme.
378 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government the status of a proposal for a new sewerage scheme for Castletown-Geoghan, County Westmeath; if the design of same has been completed; if the scheme will include the areas serving St. Colemans Terrace, Lake Road and Mullingar Road at Castletown-Geoghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24240/03]
This scheme is part of a pilot programme being undertaken by the national rural water monitoring committee to test a range of new, small scale wastewater collection and treatment systems. The pilot programme will be undertaken as two grouped design-build-operate, DBO, contracts, each involving six locations. Five consortia have been shortlisted to submit tender bids for the group of projects that includes Castletown-Geoghegan.
One of the objectives of the pilot programme is to explore the potential role for group sewerage schemes in extending domestic wastewater services to households outside the immediate catchments of the new collection systems being provided under the DBO contracts. These collection systems are, accordingly, confined initially to the core areas of each of the population centres involved. Details of the collection system for Castletown-Geoghegan are not available in the Department but may appropriately be sought from Westmeath County Council.
