Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very important issue, of which I am aware. As he knows, Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan has been raising it for quite some time, along with Deputy Gould and others. There have been ongoing issues with the quality of water in Cork, predominantly on the northside of the city. I have met with Irish Water on a wide range of issues and I have specifically raised this matter with its representatives. They indicated to me that some investments they have made will improve the situation. They are hoping for an improvement in the quality of water.

The Deputy is correct that there are huge issues with replacing the Victorian system of pipes. We will be allocating substantial additional capital to Irish Water. It must continue the replacement programme. It will also have to develop newer capacity to ensure that houses get built and we can get development going. I will continue to work with Irish Water to accelerate the work required to deal with this issue. It is a very serious issue for people's quality of life, as the Deputy said, in terms of bathing water and drinking water. Of that there is no doubt. There is a programme of work under way in this regard. It cannot wait 90 years; that is accepted. We will be allocating funding to Irish Water through the updated national development plan but it must come with certain commitments and guarantees as to how that money will be spent.

Some €100 million has been spent already on improving water supply in the Cork area more generally. As the Deputy knows, the Cork city water supply scheme is nearing completion. We have had the replacement of the Churchfield reservoir roof and the upgrade of the Glashaboy water treatment plant and the Lee Road water treatment system. The city now has a much more modernised water supply system. There are about 600 km of water mains pipes in the city, 50% to 60% of which are made from cast iron and go back to the 1920s, making them approximately 100 years old. That is one of the big issues. The system is prone to bursts and leakage. Sediment can become dislodged in the old mains pipes during repair or upgrade works. This has caused huge issues in terms of the browning and discolouring of water and so forth. There are ongoing issues. There is a programme under way by Uisce Éireann, which will continue, and there will be further investments.

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