Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, for being present to discuss this very important and pressing issue which has now become an issue of public health and safety in County Wicklow. What started off nearly three months ago with a small number of houses in Kilpedder not being able to access a regular supply of water has now extended to literally thousands of people in County Wicklow being unable to access a water supply. Local media reports today have said there will not be a regular supply of water available to these homes for months or even into the foreseeable future. There is a complete confusion and lack of clarity as to what the problem is, not to mention there being any solution to it.

It seems Dublin City Council is responsible for this water supply. I am worried that it is showing less concern for the people of Wicklow than it might for the people of Dublin if they were affected. Cancer patients are living in houses without a water supply and people with babies have had no water for 14 days. This cannot continue. It is affecting people in Kilmacanogue, Kilpedder, Enniskerry, Newcastle and Delgany.

While I would not normally raise an issue such as this in the Dáil, because it is a matter for the local authorities to resolve in the first instance, considering that it has not been resolved at local authority level, it is important the Minister asks his Department to intervene, to bang heads together, to tell us the truth about the problem as there seems to be much rumour and speculation and, most important, to put in place a solution and demand that Dublin City Council meets Wicklow County Council to find a solution and to give a timeframe for it.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for attending the House for this important issue which has been going on since St. Patrick's Day and which concerns the Roundwood reservoir where there is algae growth over the filter beds which means a sufficient amount of water is not getting through. I have spoken to several senior engineers who have said there is enough water in the reservoir - we all know that because we have been rained on for the past number of months - but that it is not getting through the filter beds.

I understand Dublin City Council is looking at this. However, it originally told Wicklow County Council that the issue would be resolved by the end of May but it recently came back and said it would be the end of June at the earliest. The indication I have from officials in Wicklow County Council is that it could go on for several months.

Two nights ago, the water supply in Enniskerry was shut off at 10 p.m. until 7 a.m. the following day. This will continue seven days per week for the foreseeable future. Willow Grove, Delgany and various areas in north Wicklow are being hit. My concern is that, as the water stocks fall and the block in the filters remains, this situation will not only not be fixed but could actually become much worse. Such a concern was expressed to me by a senior engineer in Wicklow County Council two days ago.

I have two specific requests. The first is that the Minister ask his officials to liaise with Dublin City Council to ensure that its engineers have all the resources they need to resolve this. It may be the case that this simply will take a very long time and that it is very complex but I would like to know that the council is not wanting in terms of technology, staff or other resources in order to get this solved very quickly. Second, will somebody look at the locations being cut off? I would be concerned if areas in Wicklow were being cut off by Dublin City Council but that areas in Dublin were not. It might be easier - I am not saying it is - for Dublin City Council to turn off Enniskerry rather than Stillorgan, for example.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I apologise to the Deputies for my delay in arriving in the House and for not being here for the appropriate slot but I thank them for raising this important issue. It would be useful to clarify the role of both the Department and the water services authorities in the provision of water services.

The Department does not have responsibility for, or any role in, the management, maintenance or operation of water infrastructure. As the Deputies know, it is a matter in the first instance for the relevant water services authorities, in this case Wicklow County Council and-or Dublin City Council, which are responsible under statute, for the operation, maintenance and management of water infrastructure, under the general supervision of the Environmental Protection Agency.

The primary role of the Department is to support those water services authorities in providing the necessary water infrastructure and this is done through the Department's water services investment programme. I assure the Deputies I will ensure the personnel on the engineering side are in constant contact with the Wicklow and Dublin city authorities to ensure this matter is resolved sooner rather than later.

Water supplies in the greater Dublin area, including north Wicklow, are generally provided on a shared basis under agreements drawn up between the relevant water services authorities under powers available to those authorities in the Water Services Acts and which are exercised under arrangements entered into without reference to me as the Minister. However, from inquiries made to Wicklow County Council, I am advised that there is an ongoing issue with the water supplied from Dublin City Council's Vartry reservoir, as indicated by the Deputies. Apparently, due to algal problems at Vartry, the capacity and output from the reservoir has been reduced by 50%. I am informed that Kilpedder, Glen of the Downs, Kilmacanogue and surrounding areas are fed directly from the Vartry reservoir and that with the drop in pressure of the water being supplied from the reservoir, householders are experiencing a reduced water supply and, in some instances, no water supply at all.

I understand that Wicklow County Council is providing consumers with water by locating water tankers throughout the affected areas, including locations such as Foxes Meadow, Bellevue Hill in Kilpedder, Jameson’s Corner in Delgany and Kilmacanogue. In addition, Dublin City Council has crews working on the problem at the Vartry reservoir on a full-time basis, with a view to increasing the output from Vartry and reducing the need for tankering of water.

I also understand that consumers in Enniskerry, as was mentioned, and the surrounding areas have been advised of interruptions to supply, mainly overnight, in order to ensure that the supply in the reservoir is replenished for distribution during the day. That is not acceptable and it is something which could have been better planned.

To date, the Department's water services investment programme 2010-13, water supply and watermain rehabilitation contracts, costing in excess of €16 million, have been completed in County Wicklow. Contracts for further water supply improvements and mains rehabilitation, costing in the region of €25 million, are being planned and I will check at what stage they are in regard to rolling out this programme. Additional substantial works are proposed to improve the water supply from Vartry and Dublin City Council is advancing the planning of these works.

I understand the difficulties being experienced by consumers at the lack of a continuous supply of water in their areas; it is unacceptable and it demonstrates once again the need for reform in this area. As Deputies know, we have a very ambitious water reform programme but in the immediate and short term, we want to see consumers are able to enjoy the supply of water from their local water services authority as quickly as possible. I will undertake to do whatever I can to expedite this work.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for his answer. I know he does not have direct responsibility for these services and neither does this House. We have a moral responsibility at this stage. While I appreciate the answer the Minister has given, I suggest the information he has been given by officials in the council or his Department under-estimates the seriousness of the issue. Thousands of people in County Wicklow do not have a trickle of water. Some of my constituents have not been able to have a shower in their house for two, three or four weeks. I accept that water has been supplied from tankers. However, mothers and fathers have been told to walk down hills to these tankers to get water for their babies. Cancer patients who are terminally ill are dealing with this issue in their homes.

I understand this is nobody's specific problem. I do not think the requisite degree of urgency is being applied to it, particularly by Dublin City Council which has been extremely evasive in its provision of information for Wicklow County Council. This frustration is shared by many of the staff of Wicklow County Council. The only change in the press releases issued by the council in recent days has been the addition of estates and roads.

I ask the Minister to examine whether there can be any redistribution of the existing water supply. We do not want to deprive the constituents of Deputies in south Dublin like the Minister of State, Deputy Alex White, of water. However, there may be additional supplies in parts of south Dublin. Perhaps water pressure might be reduced in some areas to make water available for redistribution in others. That would allow everyone to have some water. It would be a much more humane way of dealing with the problem.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for his comprehensive answer. I appreciate that he understands the urgency of the matter and I am pleased he will look into it. I will make a quick comment before asking two follow-up questions.

The night-time refilling of water tankers, mentioned by the Minister, is becoming less frequent. The water tanks in areas not getting any water during the day were filling up at night. At least, those residents had some water for sanitation, etc., during the day. Since last Friday, however, that has stopped happening every night. As a result of the failure of the water tanks to refill at night, some houses are not getting water for several days at a time. I wanted to let the Minister know about this.

While it is great that water tankers have been made available, it has been pointed out to me that more could be done. Some of those who have to walk long distances to get water to bring back to their houses have impaired mobility. Can a means of distributing water other than by water tankers be found to make the interim problem a little less difficult? I do not know whether that is possible.

I seek confirmation of an aspect of the Minister's response that I did not understand. Did he say work was not taking place to deal with the algae problem? Did he say that work was planned in that regard? Is it the case that work on the problem is ongoing as a matter of urgency and that additional work is being planned?

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I will deal with the last point first. Work is being done on the algae problem. I assure the Deputies that I will ask the local authorities and the officials in my Department to give this matter the sense of urgency it deserves, in line with the information they have given to the House. I acknowledge the difficulties that people and consumers are experiencing. It is unacceptable in this modern age that we have such difficulties. It demonstrates the fragility of our natural resources and the importance of water. It is unacceptable in this modern day that so many people waste so much water. It is a finite resource, as demonstrated by the problems we are having in counties Wicklow and Dublin. I will speak to the officials at the end of this debate to ensure there is a sense of urgency in this regard and these problems will be remedied on a temporary and a permanent basis as soon as possible.