The Government is to invest €5.8 billion on a programme that aims to safeguard drinking water supplies and protect natural water resources.
The Water Services Investment Programme, unveiled by Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government John Gormley today, outlines the Government's strategy for developing the water supply and waste water infrastructure.
Minister for the Environment, John Gormley
A total of €4.7 billion is to be invested in 955 individual schemes around the country.
The programme also includes a provision of €288 million for local authorities to improve water supply management systems and for mains renewal and rehabilitation.
Mr Gormley said he had issued new guidelines to local authorities to reduce leakage from old water mains and had asked councils to draw up plans by the end of next year to achieve this.
The Minister also announced a series of measures intended to target water supplies at risk from contamination by cryptosporidium and E.coli.
He said local authorities would now have access to funding from which emergency infrastructural works to deal with cryptosporidium would be financed by the Department of the Environment and fast-tracked through the approval process.
A working group has also been set up to act with local authorities to deal with water supplies that are vulnerable to cryptosporidium.
The move follows last week's emergence of E.coli in part of the public system in Galway and shortly after the cryptosporidium contamination, which led to a five-month boil-water alert for 90,000 people in the city and county
"Our aim is to bring about a situation whereby all of our public drinking water supplies comply with European standards, and that all of our lakes and rivers are of good water quality," said the Minister.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) West today announced it has lifted the precautionary boil water notice issued to some areas in Galway.
These include the south of the city as far as Barna Road and Kingston Road; north to the Rahoon Road; west to the Cappagh Road; and east to the Bishop O Donnell Road.
The HSE said that Galway City Council's investigations had established that the E.coli contamination was caused by infrastructural works on the Clybaun road. The system has been flushed, and three clear test results have been received.
