Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 757: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on reed beds as a suitable method of effluent treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32661/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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A reed bed is a common term for various natural biological waste water treatment systems employing constructed wetlands. Constructed wetlands are, in appropriate circumstances, a suitable form of waste water treatment for small communities if properly designed, constructed, operated and maintained. In 1999, the Environmental Protection Agency published a manual on treatment systems for small communities, business, leisure centres and hotels, which includes a section on constructed wetlands and sets out the advantages and disadvantages of such treatment systems as well as appropriate design, construction and maintenance criteria.

The use of integrated constructed wetlands for waste water treatment and sustainable environmental management is a more recent initiative by my Department which includes an Ireland-Wales INTERREG project. That concept strives to replicate the wider range of ecological conditions typically found in natural wetlands. The larger land areas used, compared with most other reed beds or constructed wetland designs, make these integrated constructed wetlands more robust and sustainable and capable of dealing with larger waste water volumes. An interdisciplinary team is preparing a national guidance document to encourage wider use of the concept by providing the necessary guidance to regulators, designers and contractors.