Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

I am responding to this Adjournment matter on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan.

I thank the Senator for providing me with an opportunity to outline the improvements made in the area of waste water treatment in the past 15 years. More than €6 billion in Exchequer resources has been invested in water services infrastructure since the early 1990s, with more than €5 billion of that spent in the past decade and a half. The focus of this investment has been on ensuring compliance with the European Union directives on both drinking water standards and urban waste water discharges and improving water supply to keep pace with population and economic needs. Annual Exchequer funding for waste water infrastructure has risen steadily since 1997, at which stage €116 million out of a total of €181 million was spent on waste water services, to €220 million out of almost €350 million of Exchequer funding in 2011.

Some €3.7 billion, or 71%, of the overall €6 billion has related to waste water infrastructure investment. Compliance with the EU urban waste water directive has been a key driver of investment during this period, as well as the need to respond to the requirements of population growth and the needs of industry. There are 482 agglomerations with a population greater than or equal to 500, with the two largest treatment plants in Dublin and Cork representing 55% of all public waste water discharges from these agglomerations. In the period 2000 to date, 341 waste water treatment schemes and contracts have been completed. This has led to an increase in treatment capacity equivalent to the needs of a population of almost 3.9 million. Some 1,250 km of sewer network have been constructed and almost 160 km of the existing network rehabilitated.

Ireland is approximately 93% compliant with the 2005 deadline relating to the EU urban waste water treatment directive, which requires secondary treatment for discharges from agglomerations above certain specified size thresholds. This compares with a compliance rate of 25% in 2000. Current investment plans under the water services investment plan 2010-12 will lead to the necessary infrastructure for secondary treatment in larger agglomerations being put in place by 2015. The monitoring of the effluents discharged by waste water treatment plants falls under the control of the Environmental Protection Agency. The report of the agency for the period 2008 to 2009 was published recently. While it indicates improvements in performance and compliance since the previous report, its findings indicate a need for further and more comprehensive improvement in operational performance. It also highlights the need for continued investment in waste water treatment infrastructure. The EPA has listed a number of areas in which secondary treatment or secondary treatment with nutrient reduction are still required and all of these locations are included in the current water services investment programme, with contracts under way or schemes in planning with a view to completion by 2015 at the latest.

The combination of investment, licensing and supervision of the sector is having a positive effect. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government will continue to work with local authorities and the EPA to ensure the investment made, combined with a continuous improvement in operations, leads to sustained improvements in compliance with standards.