Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The biggest water leak is the one that is visible to everyone when a pipe bursts and water pours into the street. The Deputy is correct that if the water is leaking out at the back of a house, then the consumer will deal with it because it is visible. However, the vast majority of leaks are not visible. They are small but continuous and they may not be noticed for years.

I met a person who was told that a significant portion of the foundations of his house was being destroyed because of leakage over a number of years that nobody ever saw. It was a leak that ran down before it ran out. The key benefit of a meter is that leaks are significantly reduced. All the studies show that metering of the domestic water supply reduces waste. There is no doubt about this finding.