Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 July 2021
338. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of urban areas with a population of over 10,000 that currently have wastewater treatment plants with a lack of capacity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37560/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra340. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of urban areas that lie within a 10 km distance of the River Shannon that do not have a wastewater treatment plant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37563/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra341. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of urban areas that lie within a 10 km distance of the River Shannon that regularly experience a lack of capacity in the wastewater treatment plant; the areas that must discharge raw sewage into the local waterways to compensate for this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37564/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 338, 340 and 341 together.
With effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels for public water services, including the delivery of water services capital infrastructure, encompassing the management of urban waste water collection and treatment infrastructure.
For the information of the Deputy, it should be noted that all discharges to the aquatic environment from sewerage systems owned, managed and operated by Irish Water require a waste water discharge licence or certificate of authorisation from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The authorisation process provides for the EPA to place stringent conditions on the operation of such discharges to ensure that potential effects on the receiving water bodies are strictly limited and controlled. This is in line with the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive which sets out requirements for the collection, treatment and discharge of urban waste water with the objective of protecting the environment from the adverse effects of waste water discharges.
The EPA is the key statutory body for investigating complaints of pollution and for the enforcement, both directly and through oversight of Irish Water and local authorities, of environmental legislation in Ireland, including compliance in relation to licensed urban waste water discharges.
Given the role assigned to Irish Water, my Department does not compile information in the specific format that the Deputy has requested. However, the EPA’s recent report on the performance of urban waste water treatment in 2019 shows that, while many challenges remain, Irish Water is continuing to make progress and is improving our waste water systems. Irish Water has reduced the number of priority waste water sites listed by the EPA and has increased the number of large towns and cities that now meet the required EU standards for waste water discharges. A copy of the EPA report, containing details in relation to the location of urban wastewater treatment plants, is available on the EPA’s website at the following link: https://www.epa.ie/our-services/compliance--enforcement/waste-water/urban-waste-water/.
