Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy Lawlor, on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, for the opportunity to set out the current position on the provision of water infrastructure in north Kildare, with a particular emphasis on infrastructure which supports and encourages economic development in the area. Significant water services infrastructural development is taking place countrywide at present and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government's water services investment programme 2010-12 is providing the funding to support this development. In addition to its public health, environmental compliance and water conservation focus, this programme has among its stated objectives the need to support economic and employment growth throughout the country.

Exchequer funding of €435 million has been provided for the water services capital programme in 2011, with €350 million of this provision dedicated to the water services investment programme and the balance of €85 million allocated to the rural water programme. The water services investment programme comprises 130 contracts and water conservation projects which were in progress at the end of 2009, to the value of €1 billion; 340 new contracts with an estimated value of €1.8 billion, including around 80 water conservation contracts, with an estimated value of €321 million, that have been prioritised to start construction over the period 2010-2012; and 190 schemes and water conservation projects to be progressed through their earlier planning stages during 2010-2012.

In County Kildare alone, there are three contracts listed as at construction, and a further 14 are listed to start during the lifetime of the programme. The estimated cost of these contracts is just over €172 million. As part of the programme, the Barrow abstraction water supply scheme is one of the most significant projects being undertaken in the county. Although the contract for this scheme was signed only recently, when completed it will provide County Kildare with a new water treatment plant at Srowland, thereby reducing Kildare's future demand on the Liffey system that serves the greater Dublin area.

As part of the overall Kildare county water strategy, the Srowland water supply will enable Kildare County Council to become more self-reliant in respect of the supply of water in the county. A further element of that strategy, the Castlewarden-Ballygoran water pipeline and reservoir contract, recently approved to go to tender by the Minister, Deputy Hogan, will utilise water from Srowland and deliver it to Ballygoran in north Kildare. This contract, consisting of a new 20,000 cu m service reservoir at Ballygoran and over 17.5 km of water main, will bring water to Barberstown Cross and the western area of Celbridge. The new reservoir will also supply water to the Maynooth, Celbridge, Leixlip and Straffan areas. Any requirements to meet the upgrading of facilities at Intel can be accommodated through a pipeline link from this supply to Intel and this can be completed within a very short time.

The Minister is keenly aware of the existing economic and employment benefits of an enterprise such as Intel. The Deputy can be assured that his Department continues to work closely with Kildare County Council to advance the water supply, and other water services infrastructure requirements of the area.

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