Dáil debates

Thursday, 5 April 2007

Priority Questions

Water Supply Contamination.

3:00 pm

Photo of Pádraic McCormackPádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 4: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps he is taking to resolve the problems surrounding the contamination of drinking water in Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13818/07]

Photo of Dick RocheDick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing this important question. Deputies have been caught off guard due to the changes to the Order of Business.

I am very conscious of the inconvenience and hardship being caused by the parasitic outbreak of cryptosporidium in Galway. I have made my Department's resources and expertise available to the local authorities in Galway to help them to resolve the problem in the shortest possible timescale.

Last Friday I travelled to Galway to meet the Galway city and county mayors and their officials, together with representatives of the Health Service Executive. I subsequently briefed public representatives on the outcome of the discussions, during which an extensive package of measures to mitigate the effects of the current situation and to accelerate a permanent solution was agreed. It was agreed at the meeting that the city and county councils would work to reduce the immediate impact on households directly affected by the present difficulties.

The main points of the agreement include continuing the efforts to identify the source or sources of the outbreak. The 2004 report of the National Disease Surveillance Centre stated that cryptosporidium is predominantly a parasite of neo-natal farm animals. Water supply output from the Tuam plant will be increased to augment the city supply. A pipe connects the Tuam plant to Galway and water may be transferred along it. The additional water supply can come on stream within a matter of weeks. The old Terryland water treatment plant will be phased out as additional water is delivered from the Tuam system.

A package treatment plant will be installed at Terryland before the end of the year. I have asked the authorities to be ambitious and to fast-track this plant. It will provide 18 million litres per day, which is more than the current output from the old Terryland plant that is at the centre of the problem. The longer-term upgrade of the Terryland treatment facility, which was approved for funding under my Department's water services investment programme from 2002 onwards, has an estimated cost of €21.46 million and is being fast-tracked.

I also indicated last Friday that I would respond positively to a request from Galway County Council, which has sought funding of approximately €27.4 million for increased water storage capacity and additional conservation measures in the Tuam regional scheme. This will allow water to be made available to the city as required in the longer term. I have given Galway County Council permission to invite tenders for these works. Incidentally, as the application was lodged only last November, the county council is to be commended on acting extremely rapidly.

Additional resources will be provided to Galway city and county councils in respect of staffing to deal with the immediate problem and the exceptional costs of, for example, water quality testing or the delivery of water to households. In addition, Galway City Council's recent application for permanent additional staff to work on its water services programme is being assessed.

My main focus is on advancing the short, medium and longer-term solutions represented by the increased supply from the Tuam regional scheme, for which I am grateful to the county council, which should allow the old Terryland plant to be decommissioned; the installation of an interim package treatment plant; and the completion of a substantive upgrading project in Terryland. Any assistance my Department can provide to the local authorities has been promised and will be forthcoming.

Photo of Rory O'HanlonRory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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I call Deputy O'Dowd.

Photo of Noel GrealishNoel Grealish (Galway West, Progressive Democrats)
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On a point of order, I wish to raise one issue with the Minister. I apologise to Deputy O'Dowd.

Photo of Rory O'HanlonRory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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This is a priority question.

Photo of Noel GrealishNoel Grealish (Galway West, Progressive Democrats)
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Was a proposal put forward to provide tankers of water for the people of Galway? This is vitally important.

Photo of Rory O'HanlonRory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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While I appreciate that, this is a priority question.

Photo of Noel GrealishNoel Grealish (Galway West, Progressive Democrats)
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This is an issue pertaining to the health of the people of Galway. Was there any——

Photo of Rory O'HanlonRory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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I ask the Deputy to allow Deputy O'Dowd to respond. This is a priority question and only the Member who submitted the question is entitled to ask further questions.

Photo of Noel GrealishNoel Grealish (Galway West, Progressive Democrats)
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I appreciate that.

Photo of Fergus O'DowdFergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. This is an extremely serious public health issue. It constitutes a crisis for the people of Galway and could become a crisis in many other locations. I appreciate the EPA has asked local authorities to identify immediately areas in which public water supply may be theoretically at risk. I ask the Minister to provide Members with this information as soon as possible.

The key question is why water tankers have not been deployed in Galway to supply households. The Minister should respond. Can the Minister comment on the report published in The Irish Times today that suggests the cause may be human contamination as a result of a complete malfunction of a sewerage works in a particular location? The report states this extremely serious issue is due to over-development. These are serious issues for Galway city and county, as well as for many other locations nationwide.

Photo of Dick RocheDick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The point raised by Deputies Grealish and O'Dowd pertains to the immediate problem. I accept they are both correct that there is a significant inconvenience for families in Galway and for large families in particular, who are obliged to haul water home from supermarkets.

I raised this issue with the local authorities on Friday and indicated that I was willing to help them to overcome this problem. Specifically, I suggested that if it would be helpful, I would ask my colleague, the Minister for Defence to make available either Civil Defence or Army transport to bring in water. For reasons it has discussed, the council is not disposed to taking up that proposition. I am aware the local authorities were working over the weekend on alternative means of providing emergency clean water supplies. I have told them I will provide them with any assistance or back-up required to so do.

I indicated yesterday to the council that I was somewhat frustrated to read and hear media reports to the effect that families still had not been provided with the relief mentioned by Deputies O'Dowd and Grealish. I again indicated today that I am anxious for this to happen. As a parent of four children, I well remember raising young children and I do not understand how large families in particular can cope with such an imposition. The councils have been offered resources. I have stated they may have tankers if they wish. While I do not wish to trespass on areas that are the responsibility of the councils, I wish to be as helpful as possible to them.

To be fair to Galway City Council, I realise it is dealing with a significant problem. It has devoted many hours to the issue and is highly conscious of its potential impact on the city. Deputy Grealish made the point to me earlier today that it is extremely important to send out the message that Galway remains open for business.

Photo of Noel GrealishNoel Grealish (Galway West, Progressive Democrats)
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Hear, hear.

Photo of Dick RocheDick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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It is not a "no go" area. Boiling the water more than adequately deals with the problem and I understand guesthouses and hotels have taken steps on which I commend them.

Deputy O'Dowd asked a second and much more pertinent question, which is also the subject of Question No. 12. It pertains to the monitoring of water supplies. I agree with him. Last month, I introduced new water monitoring regulations that directly follow up on the suggestions made in the last EPA report. The regulations make monitoring mandatory and include a requirement for accessible public information in this regard.

The EPA's last two reports raised concerns regarding the quality and volume of monitoring taking place and indicated that while some local authorities were very good, others were not. One of the plants identified specifically as being at risk was the old Terryland plant. This is the reason there is so much mystification regarding the delays in Galway. However, this has been changed. The new regulations were introduced before the outbreak and I understand they took effect on 8 March. If Question No. 12 is reached, this issue can be dealt with in greater detail. However, I agree with Deputy O'Dowd that it is extremely important.

Photo of Fergus O'DowdFergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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In general, the EPA report deals with problems in respect of group water schemes, which is the reason the latter are being taken into public ownership and the reason the Minister's legislation promoted such measures. Can the Minister comment briefly on my remarks concerning the other water supplies that may be at risk?

Photo of Dick RocheDick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The testing of public water schemes is incorporated in the regulation, which deals with the issue.