Irish Water highlights need for investment in infrastructure, while behind schedule

Irish Water managing director Niall Gleeson has acknowledged that the public utility is behind schedule in rolling out water treatment works

Mr Gleeson stressed that Irish Water is getting better at dealing with delays in the planning process and the land acquisition process.

During the week the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) issued a scathing report stating that Irish Water had "no clear plan" to stop waste water being pumped into rivers, lakes and seas. The agency accused Irish Water of "unacceptable delays".

The agency listed 34 towns and villages that continue to release raw sewage into the environment every day.

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Speaking at the opening of a €150 million water treatment plant in Vartry, Co Wicklow, Mr Gleeson said 14 projects have been started this year with eight beginning next year.

“The struggle we have is around consenting and land acquisition. We are getting better at that. We are getting better at how long that process will take us and we are factoring in judicial reviews too,” he said.

“We have the resources and we have the plans in place. By 2025 we expect to have the vast majority of those waste water treatment plans installed.”

A recent incident in Gorey where 52 people got sick from contaminated water and in Ballymore Eustace, which produced unsafe drinking water in August, highlighted the need for investment in water infrastructure, Mr Gleeson added.

Funding

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage described the Vartry scheme as “incredibly impressive” as it is replacing a water system that had stood the test of time for almost 165 years. It will provide water for 200,000 people in Wicklow and south Dublin.

The original scheme was one of the most impressive feats of engineering in 19th-century Ireland. A 4km tunnel was dug under Callowhill by hand in the 1860s and connected to a 40km stretch of trunk main which brought water to Dublin city.

When it opened in 1867, Dublin became the first city in northern Europe with a fully filtered water supply saving thousands of lives which might otherwise have been lost to waterborne diseases such as cholera and Typhoid fever

Mr O’Brien stated that the EPA report demonstrated the “reality” of where water treatment is at for many communities.

“In fairness to Irish Water, we have a capital plan in place that is going to address many of these concerns,” he said.

He cited the example of Arklow where untreated sewage is currently being pumped into the Avoca River.

A €139-million wastewater treatment plant, which had been mooted in various guises since 1988, began construction in September and will be completed in 2025.

Multi-annual funding worth €6 billion will be provided under the National Development Plan between now and 2026. “This gives certainty to these projects,” he said.

“We know where the work is needed to be done and we are confident we are making real progress in that space.

“I welcome the EPA report and that the EPA are feeding in independently to us. This Government is committing to securing our clean water supply.”

Audits of 800 waste water plants are taking place and the top 25 have already been surveyed, the Minister added.