Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 96: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the action he is taking to improve the overall quality of drinking water here and in particular the quality of water in group water schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36641/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 550: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has satisfied himself regarding the adequacy in respect of storage and volume of the domestic drinking water supply; the future requirements and his proposals in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36977/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 96 and 550 together.

Some €3.7 billion will be spent under the National Development Plan 2000-2006 on the provision of water services infrastructure. Substantial increases in water treatment and storage capacity are being achieved as a result of this investment. Schemes completed since 1997 have produced additional drinking water treatment capacity equivalent to the needs of a population of 985,000. The increase in storage capacity over the same period was sufficient to meet the requirements of a population of 1.575 million.

Management of public drinking water supplies is the responsibility of the local authorities which have a range of instruments and measures available to them to conserve sufficient stocks to meet anticipated needs and ensure quality standards. In addition, my Department co-ordinates and finances a major programme of investment in improved infrastructure, active leakage control, telemetry and rehabilitation of watermains.

Details of approved proposals for further new and upgraded public water supply schemes are set out in my Department's water services investment programme 2004-2006, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library. The schemes included in the programme are mainly derived from regular assessments of needs undertaken by local authorities, at my Department's request, as an input to the overall strategy for meeting additional water supply and treatment requirements.

Successive Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, reports on drinking water quality testify to the good quality of public drinking water supplies in Ireland. The most recent EPA report, for 2003, confirms a compliance rate with mandatory drinking water standards for public water supplies of 97.7%. Earlier this year, I announced a record capital allocation of €125 million for the 2005 rural water programme. Water quality problems are now largely confined to group water schemes using private sources such as rivers, lakes and boreholes, many of which are subject to organic pollution. These schemes serve approximately 4% of households nationally and, for the most part, supply water to group members without any prior treatment or disinfection. My Department, in partnership with the county councils and the group scheme sector, is implementing a comprehensive action plan aimed at improving water quality in schemes with private sources. Some €81.35 million has been ring-fenced in 2005 for spending on the provision of water treatment and disinfection facilities on quality deficient schemes and, where feasible, in connecting these schemes to high quality public water supply systems.

My Department provides 100% capital grants for the construction of essential water treatment and disinfection facilities on schemes with private sources. At present, there are 18 grouped design build operate contracts being progressed for new water treatment plants for 246 individual schemes which, between them, serve 43,786 rural households. Projects are also under way to connect around 70 schemes to the public water supply and county councils propose to take a further 38 poor quality group schemes into public charge. A further 36 schemes which currently supply water in compliance with the required standard will benefit from the provision of new water disinfection and sterilisation equipment. Overall, the necessary resources are being committed to securing a high quality water supply system to remedy deficiencies where they exist and to meet current and future needs.