I propose to take Questions Nos. 555 to 558, inclusive, and 564 to 566, inclusive, together.
The EPA's regular reports on Water Quality in Ireland present a review of water quality and suspected causes of pollution in various categories of water bodies. The EPA's reports on Urban Waste Water Discharges in Ireland provide an analysis of the treatment of waste water from all agglomerations with a population equivalent over 500. Both reports are available in the Oireachtas Library. My Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2007-2009, which I published in September 2007 and which is also available in the Oireachtas Library, sets out details of approved schemes for, inter alia, improving local authority waste water infrastructure, including such infrastructure in County Kildare. Each local authority was asked by my Department in 2006 to carry out detailed assessments of the need for capital water services infrastructure in their areas and to prioritise their proposals taking account, inter alia, of relevant reports and studies such as the National Urban Waste Water Study, Rural Water Strategies, County Sludge Management Plans and any similar studies/reports commissioned locally; relevant reports produced by the EPA, including Water Quality in Ireland and Urban Wastewater Discharges in Ireland; the requirements of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Regulations 2001, and, in particular, the requirement of Article 7 to provide “appropriate treatment” in the case of sub-threshold agglomerations; the adequacy of existing sewage collection networks and, in the case of anticipated development, the adequacy of the capacity of existing treatment plants; and national and EU environmental and public health requirements and standards. The priorities subsequently identified by Kildare and other local authorities were taken into consideration in the selection of schemes for inclusion in the 2007-2009 Investment Programme. In addition, my Department has allocated funds to Kildare and other County Councils for new public water services infrastructure under the Small Schemes Measure of the Rural Water Programme and details of activity under this measure may be obtained from relevant local authorities.