Ireland needs to reach a stage where everybody in society feels responsible for the management of the water on their property rather than thinking it is solely a local authority issue, a conference in Cork heard today.
Kevin Murray, who has worked as a consultant engineer for 20 years, told the Engineers Ireland annual conference the challenges facing the installation of water meters were considerable but achievable if old models which have not served us well were abandoned.
Earlier this week, Minister for the Environment John Gormley announced plans to install water meters in homes next year ahead of the introduction of water charges.
"The industry is suggesting that the meter installation could be done in three years with 300 to 350 two-person crews. We don't have that many experienced crews," Mr Murray said. "I would like to see Fás working with industry to develop training courses so that we can create more metering crews from our unemployed construction sector. Otherwise we will be importing resources for this metering programme."
Mr Murray said the real argument for metering over fixed water charges lies in the control of leakage. He insists there is plenty of evidence to suggest that a high proportion of unaccounted for water is on the private customer's side of the stop tap. Water meters are of far greater benefit and of greater cost saving value than simply changing customer water usage behaviour, he said.
Mr Gormley told the conference that it was unacceptable that the level of unaccounted for water in some water services authorities exceeds 50 per cent of the amount produced. "It does not make sense from an economic or environmental perspective to invest in expanding water treatment capacity if there is a significant loss of treated water in ageing or damaged networks. I am determined to address this matter."
Mr Gormley said in previous years, water conservation had now been fully integrated into the State's main investment programme in infrastructure.
"This ensures that the efficacy of network rehabilitation in meeting water supply capacity demand is more fully integrated into the planning of water supply schemes. The Programme provides for the commencement of contracts involving network rehabilitation with a value of some €320 million over the next three years on works," he said.
"This is more than double the expenditure on water conservation works over the past seven years and I expect this investment to improve considerably our ability to reduce rates of unaccounted for water which are, in general, exceptionally high."
Principal Officer at the Department of the Environment Ivan Grimes told the conference the one positive aspect that could be drawn from water shortages in Dublin last winter was the raised awareness amongst members of the public of the importance of supplies.