Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 4 October 2006
172 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if the grant aid available for group sewerage schemes will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31023/06]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn June 2005 I approved funding for a pilot programme, proposed by the National Rural Water Monitoring Committee, to test a range of new, small-scale wastewater collection and treatment systems under Irish conditions. The pilot programme will also test a low cost, low maintenance system to collect, treat and dispose of effluent from existing septic tanks.
The objective of the pilot programme is to evaluate new approaches to meeting the wastewater collection and treatment needs of rural villages and to examine the potential role for group sewerage schemes in extending the collection systems to households outside the catchment of new or existing sewerage schemes. Construction of the pilot projects is currently in progress and monitoring of the performance of the new infrastructure by the National Rural Water Monitoring Committee will commence immediately after commissioning takes place. I will be asking the National Rural Water Monitoring to report on results as they become available. Overall assessment of the pilot programme will inform any review of the current group sewerage scheme grants.
