Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am taking this on behalf of my colleagues in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of providing safe drinking water in east Cork. Safe and secure drinking water is an issue of both national and local importance. I appreciate the Deputy's concerns for those communities in Whitegate, County Cork, and surrounding areas affected by the current boil water notice. I also acknowledge the other towns and villages the Deputy referenced in his contribution.

The Deputy will appreciate that the operation of Whitegate regional public water scheme is a matter for Uisce Éireann, which since 1 January 2014 has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. In turn, the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, as environmental regulator, is responsible for setting quality standards and enforcing compliance with EU directives and national regulations for the provision of drinking water. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has made enquiries with Uisce Éireann and I am informed the boil water notice currently in place for the Whitegate public water supply was issued on 29 October 2022 following consultation between Uisce Éireann, Cork County Council and the HSE. This boil water notice was issued to protect approximately 9,500 customers in Whitegate, Aghada, Churchtown, Ballycotton, Saleen, Shanagarry, Ballinacurra and areas of Cloyne. The notice was issued because of increased turbidity in the raw water. There is a history of this issue at this source as it is susceptible to raw water quality issues after heavy rainfall events. Boil water notices have been issued on Whitegate public water supply a number of times over recent years.

This is clearly not a tenable situation and it is causing severe inconvenience to those reliant on this water supply. To solve this problem and prevent it occurring again, Uisce Éireann is building a new water treatment plant to serve Whitegate and environs. In 2022, Uisce Éireann announced a multimillion euro investment that will put an end to the frequent boil water notices this community has had to endure. I am pleased to report that, in January 2023, Uisce Éireann, working in partnership with Cork County Council, submitted planning permission for a new state-of-the-art water treatment facility that will service approximately 10,000 people in the east Cork area. Subject to the planning permission being granted by July 2023, the construction contract will be signed in quarter 4 of 2023, with construction mobilised in quarter 1 of 2024. The construction work would be due for completion in quarter 4 of 2025. The EPA will ensure the new plant meets all applicable standards before this supply is removed from the EPA's remedial action list.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage's priority is to ensure people's health is protected and that adequate water is available for all consumers. We all want to see this notice lifted without undue delay, but only when the HSE and the EPA have confirmed the water supply is safe. Additional information and advice on boil water notices is available on Uisce Éireann's website or by calling Uisce Éireann's 24-hour service line. As part of budget 2023, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, secured funding of more than €1.65 billion to support water services. This includes €1.56 billion in respect of domestic water services provision by Uisce Éireann. This overall investment will deliver significant improvements in our public water and wastewater services, support improved water supplies throughout Ireland, including in rural Ireland, and support a range of programmes delivering improved water quality in our rivers, lakes and marine area, making a significant contribution to addressing Ireland's needs.

I also take on board what the Deputy said about communication, which is a vital point in all of this. The one thing Uisce Éireann has failed to provide me details on in the note it has given me is how it communicates with the public.

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