Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Chair for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment. More than 50 years ago, a predecessor of mine, a Deputy from Tipperary South - I do not remember his name - put down a parliamentary question about the Burncourt regional water scheme. Burncourt and Fethard regional water schemes have now been bundled together. Both are very important infrastructural projects in my constituency and this cannot be overstated. They used to be two individual projects and I suppose they still are, but they have been bundled in recent times into one project.

In April 1999, some £800,000 was approved to progress the Burncourt regional water scheme. In May 2004, a further sum of €6.1 million was approved by the then Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to proceed with the scheme. Sad to say, the Celtic tiger was around. He was a cub at that stage and he developed into a full tiger, but he has now left our shores and we still do not have a proper standard of drinking water in the Burncourt and Fethard areas.

I wish to acknowledge the work of the county council, especially South Tipperary County Council and the sanitary services staff, the current Minister, Deputy John Gormley, and his private secretary, Mr. Eddie Keenan, for their co-operation in this matter. I wish to mention Mr. Aidan Fennessy of the sanitary services staff, our plumber, Anthony O'Dwyer, and our water caretakers. One of them is retiring from the county council in two weeks' time after 37 years' service. He was a front line worker, along with his colleague, Joe Carrigan. They were called out whenever there was trouble, such as bad water or no water.

Unfortunately, we have been operating under a boil water notice since September at the instigation of the HSE. It was activated by some families who happened to be working as laboratory technicians in private companies and tested the water. They brought the results to the notice of the EPA and the HSE. These bodies had to be prodded into taking action. A large area is currently under a boil water notice, including a school, many local families and communities, a food processing plant, public houses and shops and butchers. It is not acceptable and it is a significant worry.

I plead with the relevant officials to try to progress this as speedily as possible because the situation has gone on for far too long. I acknowledge the support of my colleagues, Deputy Tom Hayes and the Minister of State, Deputy Martin Mansergh, on the issue as well as the elected local representatives.

I thank the consumers for being so patient. They recently set up a concerned consumers committee which is working very hard and has a lot of expertise among its ranks. Those involved are working tirelessly with the council officials and the EPA and the health board officials. We have made adaptations to make the archaic system safer and better. I also thank Coillte and the An Oige youth hostel and the local farmers for their help. I am concerned because Coillte has planted trees in proximity to the source stream and supply and after harvesting etc. certain dangerous materials can wash into this source. A new abstraction order must be obtained for Fethard and Burncourt. Unfortunately, the two schemes have been bundled together. During the Celtic tiger everything had to be big and wonderful. A scheme costing €7 million was not deemed big enough.

I accept the Burncourt abstraction order has now been completed without objections. Unfortunately, the Fethard scheme had to be re-tendered and is now out for public consultation and it looks promising. However, we will not know until 27 November if there will be submissions or objections or if it will go to An Bord Pleanála. However, I put down a marker here and if that happens I will continue to apply pressure to have the schemes unbundled and, along with my colleagues, lobby to have the Burncourt scheme progressed with haste and to move the matter on.

We are weary and tired of consultants' reports and other reports going to the Department. In turn, it reverts to the locality some months later with queries. County council officials compile reports for health consultants and they go back to the Department. This has been going on for far too long and it must stop. All the evidence is there and the reports are in place. We must see tender documents prepared and the sod turned for this badly needed project. That would allow the people, young and old, of Burncourt and Fethard, but especially Burncourt, access to clean, safe water on which they can rely and they would no longer have to worry about sicknesses and everything else. I thank the Acting Chairman, Deputy Michael Kennedy, for the time and I look forward to the reply of the Minister of State.

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I respond on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The Burncourt and Fethard regional water supply scheme is included in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government's water services investment programme 2007 to 2009. The proposed scheme is intended to boost the water supply in the south east and west of the county and resolve the water quality issues of the present supply. It would involve upgrading and extending the existing supply, including the provision of new treatment plants, storage and network improvements, at an estimated cost of €14.5 million. The Department approved South Tipperary County Council's design proposals for the scheme last December.

The council is proceeding with the detailed planning of the scheme. As part of this process, the council requires a new abstraction order. The current abstraction rate is almost four times the volume permitted under the existing licence. In addition, the council proposes to relocate the abstraction point further downstream from its present location. Accordingly, a new licence is required before the council can proceed with the treatment plant element of the scheme.

The public consultation procedure in respect of the abstraction order for the scheme is well advanced. The council has advised the Department that the timeline for the delivery of the scheme is dependent on the abstraction licence process.

I am well aware of the interest of Deputy McGrath in this matter and I inform him that the Minister, Deputy Gormley, is also aware that there have been water quality issues associated with the Skeheenarinky section of the Burncourt supply. The day-to-day management and operation of public water supply infrastructure is a matter for the local authority concerned, in this instance South Tipperary County Council. A rigorous statutory supervisory framework is in place under the drinking water regulations, whereby local authorities are obliged to ensure that any failure to meet quality standards in a water supply is investigated immediately to determine the cause. The authority is required to consult with the HSE and, in the case of public supplies, with the EPA to determine whether there is a potential danger to human health, and, if there is, to agree the appropriate action, including the prompt notification of consumers.

South Tipperary County Council has taken the necessary steps, following consultation with the HSE and the EPA, under this supervisory framework to tackle the water quality issues. The council's water monitoring regime worked successfully in this instance and the recent contaminations were discovered quickly and action by the council has prevented any public health issues that might have arisen. I understand that the council will meet the HSE shortly to agree the criteria for lifting the boil water notice that has been in place since the contaminations were discovered in September. The council has also confirmed to the Department that all recent monitoring results for water quality on the supply meet the drinking water standards but that investigation into the causes of the contamination is still ongoing. The council is also taking other measures to protect the source and will provide ongoing monitoring and assess the feasibility of upgrading treatment to ensure water quality pending delivery of the regional scheme.

In so far as the next phase of the water services investment programme is concerned, local authorities were asked in July to submit an assessment of needs for water and sewerage services to the Department by 23 October last. The Department has commenced consideration of these assessments, which will form a key input to the development of the 2010 to 2012 water services investment programme. In conducting their assessments, local authorities were asked to prioritise schemes and contracts for progression. It is anticipated that the water services investment programme 2010 to 2012 will be published early next year. I advise Deputy McGrath of the Minister's recognition of his continued interest in promoting this scheme.