Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 April 2021
471. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the Programme for Government commitment to reduce emissions into coastal seas in particular Dublin Bay by upgrading the Irish Water treatment network; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21624/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs part of Budget 2021, I secured funding of over €1.4 billion to support water services. This includes €1.3 billion in respect of domestic water services provision by Irish Water. This overall investment will deliver significant improvements in our public water and wastewater services, support improved water supplies right across Ireland, including rural Ireland, and support a range of programmes delivering improved water quality in our rivers, lakes and marine area.
In respect of upgrades relating to Dublin Bay, the Ringsend wastewater treatment plant was originally designed and built to treat wastewater for a population equivalent of 1.64 million and is now overloaded. In response, Irish Water is currently undertaking a major upgrade of the plant. This upgrade will increase the capacity of the plant to cater for the growing population of the Greater Dublin Area and will address compliance with EU law. Planning permission was granted for the project in April 2019, and the project is currently underway.
The Programme for Government commits to funding Irish Water’s capital investment plan for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure on a multi-annual basis and deliver the €8.5 billion funding package committed to in Project Ireland 2040. Given a legacy of underinvestment in water services infrastructure in Ireland, the scale of remedial work necessary in our water and wastewater systems will take a number years and investment cycles to fully resolve.
It is recognised that our waste water networks require ongoing and sustained investment to bring these up to the required standard of treatment; to deal with population growth; and to adapt to the impacts of climate change. In this regard, significant investment in waste water infrastructure continues and is provided for in the Irish Water Strategic Funding Plan. It is estimated that €1.9 billion will be invested in waste water projects between 2019 to 2024.
