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

The reason this was brought in by the Minister was to avoid potentially quite severe and continuous penalties under the Commission's legislative role. In an effort to avoid that but primarily to protect drinking water and water courses, it is very important that and issues around contamination of drinking water in particular are addressed.

In a separate and different category, there was an outbreak of cryptosporidium in County Galway some years ago which meant it was not possible to drink water from the taps in Galway city for months. One must balance two things: the health impact of faecal contamination and the improvement of the quality of the water supply. The Minister was very clear in what he said and while I will leave it to him make his statements at the proper time, his intention and commitment in respect of the matter raised by the Deputy are clear.

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