Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Since storm water management is unpredictable and difficult to cost, I understand it is not an attractive element of the water industry. I suspect one of the main reasons Irish Water was not given responsibility for the management of storm water was it would not have been attractive to anyone with notions of buying Irish Water were it ever to be privatised. People do not like to buy things that are difficult to measure.

In fact, it does not make much sense not to have all the elements of water under the one roof. It is unfair to expect local authorities to fund something when they are poorly resourced to do so. It is so unpredictable.

Given that local authorities no longer have responsibility for the supply of water or for sewerage, there will be a the huge decrease in the number of people working in local authorities who are involved with water, yet the local authorities will have to be able to respond to problems that arise unpredictably. That is surely not sustainable.

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