The Government has committed substantially increased funding for water services infrastructure over the past decade and again in the new National Development Plan (NDP). Some €3.7 billion was invested in new and upgraded water services infrastructure under NDP 2000-2006. €4.7 billion, an increase of 27%, has been provided under NDP 2007-2013. Real improvements being achieved on foot of this ongoing investment include:
Rapid progress in meeting targets under the EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. Compliance with the end 2005 deadline for the provision of secondary treatment, which stood at 25% in 2000 had risen to some 90% at the end of 2006, with all remaining schemes needed to ensure full compliance included in the Water Services Investment Programme.
The extensive programme of wastewater treatment works has reduced the pollutant load from municipal discharges to rivers, lakes and sea (measured as Biochemical Oxygen Demand) by 45,000 tonnes per annum in a period of unprecedented economic and population growth.
Wastewater treatment capacity was increased since 1997 by an equivalent to the needs of a population of 3.3 million; the increase in drinking water treatment capacity over the same period was equivalent to the needs of a population of 1.2 million.
By the end of December 2006 of some 85,000 sites had been provided under the Serviced Land Initiative, with a further 100,000 sites at construction stage.
Massive investment under the Rural Water Programme has resulted in great progress in upgraded and renewed rural water supply systems and improved water quality in private group water schemes.
Overall, my Department is committing sufficient resources to ensure that the coverage and quality of the national water infrastructure will be able to fully meet current and anticipated demand in the future.
My Department provided a total of €175.72 million, €107.63 million and €68.38 million respectively to Counties Louth, Cavan and Monaghan under the Water Services Investment and Rural Water Programmes in the period 1997 to 2006. Major schemes completed during that period are set out in the following table. In addition, many more schemes, smaller in scale, were completed under the devolved Rural Water Programme, of which details may be obtained from the County Councils. Full details of currently approved major schemes in Counties Louth, Cavan and Monaghan, including the value of the investment proposed in each case, are set out in my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2005-2007, which is available in the Oireachtas Library.
New Assessments of Needs were undertaken last year in response to the Department's request to all local authorities to review the needs for capital works in their areas and to prioritise their proposals on the basis of the assessments. The priorities adopted by the members of Louth, Cavan and Monaghan County Councils will be taken into account in the framing of the next phase of the Water Services Investment Programme.
Louth County Council
Scheme
|
Year of Completion
|
Carlingford Sewerage Scheme
|
2000
|
Clogherhead Water/Sewerage Scheme
|
2000
|
Dunleer Sewerage Scheme
|
2000
|
Dunleer Sewerage Scheme Phase 2
|
2000
|
Drogheda Main Drainage
|
2001
|
Drogheda Water Supply
|
2001
|
Dundalk Main Drainage
|
2001
|
Greenhills W&S Serviced Land Initiative
|
2001
|
Ardee Link Road Sewer
|
2002
|
Mount Avenue Drainage
|
2002
|
Dunleer/Mid-Louth RWSS Advance Works
|
2004
|
Termonfeckin/Baltray Sewerage Rural Towns & Villages Initiative
|
2004
|
Tulllyallen Sewerage Scheme — Serviced Land Initiative
|
2006
|
Cavan County Council
Scheme
|
Year of Completion
|
Ballyconnell Sewerage
|
1998
|
Virginia Sewerage
|
1998
|
Ballyjamesduff Water
|
2000
|
Cullies/Drumlark Sewerage Scheme — Serviced Land Initiative
|
2000
|
Cootehill Sewerage Scheme
|
2001
|
Bailieborough Regional Water Supply Stage 1
|
2001
|
Lough Gowna Village Sewerage Scheme — Rural Towns & Villages
|
2001
|
Rathardrum, Dublin Rd. Virginia Serviced Land Initiative
|
2001
|
Swellan Sewerage Scheme — Serviced Land Initiative
|
2001
|
Tanderagee/Curkish Water & Sewerage
|
2002
|
Bailieboro RWSS — Stage 2
|
2003
|
Redhills Sewerage Scheme — Rural Towns & Villages
|
2006
|
Monaghan County Council
Scheme
|
Year of Completion
|
Carrickmacross Sewerage (Improvement — Phase 2)
|
1998
|
Castleblayney Water Supply Improvement Scheme
|
1999
|
Monaghan Water Contract 1 — Pipelines
|
1999
|
Carrickmacross- Convent Lands sewerage
|
2000
|
Monaghan Water Supply
|
2001
|
Tydavnet Sewerage (Reedbed)
|
2001
|
Clones Water Scheme
|
2003
|
Monaghan Town Sewerage (Peter’s Lake)
|
2003
|