John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

I can assure the Deputy that this is a priority, which is why I secured record funding of up to €560 million for water infrastructure, an increase of 19%. The Deputy is right to be concerned about the EPA findings with regard to groundwater. The main threat to groundwater is contamination from micro organisms originating in sewerage, animal manures and other organic wastes. There has also been intermittent contamination of groundwater with fecal coliforms. Such contamination appears to be relatively widespread and constitutes a risk for those using the water, particularly if it is untreated. Fecal coliform counts indicating gross contamination were recorded at 37% of the monitoring locations.

I must also point out that there is a serious problem in this country with the proliferation of septic tanks, many of which are very old. The Deputy may be aware that the European Commission earlier this year initiated proceedings against this country in the European Court of Justice, seeking a ruling that Ireland has failed to transpose the waste directive as far as domestic waste waters from septic tanks and other similar treatment systems are concerned. We are now preparing a response to that finding. The Water Services Act 2007 contains a number of very significant provisions regarding the operation of septic tanks.

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