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Wastewater Treatment

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 July 2021

Tuesday, 13 July 2021

Ceisteanna (339)

Jackie Cahill

Ceist:

339. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of urban areas with a population of over 5,000 that are restricted from constructing new housing units due to a lack of capacity in the local wastewater treatment plant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37561/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

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.

In terms of the construction of new housing, the National Planning Framework (2019) sets out the approach that local authorities must follow when assessing the infrastructural capacity of proposed land use zoning in development plans. This two-tiered approach requires that the development plan must identify ‘Tier 1’ or serviced zoned land which comprises lands that are able to connect to existing development services, i.e. road and footpath access including public lighting, foul sewer drainage, surface water drainage and water supply, for which there is service capacity available, and can therefore accommodate new development.

The plan may also identify ‘Tier 2’ or serviceable zoned land which comprises lands that are not currently sufficiently serviced to support new development but have potential to become fully serviced within the life of the plan i.e. the lands are currently constrained due to the need to deliver some or all development services required to support new development, such as, road or footpath access including lighting, foul sewer drainage, surface water drainage, water supply and/or additional service capacity.

The potential for delivery of the required services and/or capacity to support new development must be identified and this infrastructural assessment must be aligned with the approved infrastructural investment programme of the relevant delivery agency, for example, Irish Water, or be based on a written commitment by the relevant delivery agency to provide the identified infrastructure within a specified timescale (i.e. within the lifetime of the plan). 

To align with the national planning framework, Irish Water takes account of and supports ongoing work on the implementation of the framework, including the regional spatial and economic strategies. It liaises closely with local authorities to inform ongoing reviews of county development plans, local area plans and its waste water capacity registers, which help ensure the right development is supported in the right place.

For the information of the Deputy, it should be noted that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as environmental regulator, is responsible for setting quality standards and enforcing compliance with EU Directives and national regulations for wastewater discharges to water bodies.

While my Department does not compile the information that the Deputy has requested, the EPA’s recent report on the performance of urban waste water treatment in 2019, highlights the number of large towns and cities that now meet the required EU standards for waste water discharges. A copy of this report is available on the EPA’s website at the following link: https://www.epa.ie/our-services/compliance--enforcement/waste-water/urban-waste-water/.

Question No. 340 answered with Question No. 338.
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