Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for her ongoing interest in pursuing the very important issue of water quality in Dublin Bay. In order to protect water quality in the bay, work is under way to upgrade and enhance Irish Water's management of the city's wastewater networks and treatment plants. In addition, the Dublin local authorities are collaborating on projects to improve the management of surface water catchments around the bay.

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has also requested the national bathing water expert group to report to him on how best to protect the health of people who regularly swim in Dublin Bay outside the regulated bathing water season. The bathing water expert group has been meeting monthly since late 2021. The expert group is currently gathering information on when and where out-of-season bathing occurs. The expert group has developed two questionnaires, one for the public and one for local authorities. This information, to be gathered within the coming two months, will inform the conclusions of the group and the development of advice to the Minister. This may include any additional necessary measures, including regulatory changes and-or monitoring changes.

In parallel, a bathing water task force, chaired by Dublin City Council, is seeking to improve bathing water quality all-year round in Dublin Bay. The task force has undertaken an assessment of inputs to the Elm Park stream catchment as this stream is considered a significant source of pollution for bathing waters in the southern part of Dublin Bay. Other pressures include dog and bird fouling and wastewater discharges. As part of this work, the following actions are being progressed. Irish Water and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council have closed a sewer outflow at Larkfield and are delivering upgrades to the combined drainage infrastructure at that location, eliminating one source of pollution to that stream. The project included the construction of a new sewer from Larkfield Road to Our Lady's Grove Primary School in May 2021. Installation of a flow and water quality monitor near the outlet of the Elm Park stream will provide information on pollutant loads in the stream just before it discharges into bathing waters. This will assist in predicting water quality problems in order to protect public health.

Additionally, in the Ringsend wastewater treatment plant, Irish Water is operating an ultraviolet filter over the winter months of 2021 and 2022 and is now monitoring to see if water quality improvements were evident during the times the filter was operational. Irish Water is currently collating and analysing the monitoring data and this analysis is scheduled to be completed shortly.

The work I have outlined has been undertaken in addition to the ongoing project upgrade at Ringsend wastewater treatment plant. Furthermore, the programme for Government and the national development plan made significant commitments for Irish Water capital investment in the period 2021-25. I will raise the additional points the Deputy made around advising members of the public who want to use the bathing facilities all-year round in a transparent manner, which I understand is the course of things as people take the opportunity to embrace the outdoors. Any technology we can take advantage of to make that a reality and get information to the source and to citizens' hands is important. I will raise that matter, and the Deputy's other points, with the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, with whom she has had correspondence.

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