Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 576: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his Department or the EPA has evaluated the threat to drinking water quality arising from the lack of adequate treatment capacity for sewage in local authorities; if data is available on this on a county basis; the way this threat compares with others including industry; and the sanctions that are available to his Department in respect of each sector. [23749/07]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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My Department coordinates and finances a major programme of investment in new and improved water services infrastructure to meet identified needs including, where appropriate, the lack of adequate wastewater treatment facilities in particular areas. Details of approved schemes are set out in the Water Services Investment Programme 2007-2009 which I published in September 2007 and which is available in the Oireachtas Library.

The schemes included in this €5.8bn 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 identified water services requirements. The most recent of these assessments was carried out in 2006. In undertaking their assessments, local authorities are required to have regard to specific criteria, including relevant EPA assessments, and national and EU environmental and public health statutory requirements and standards. In this context authorities are required to take into account threats to water quality from whatever source they arise. Details of their assessments are available from each County and City Council.

I recently made the Waste Water Discharge (Authorisation) Regulations 2007 (S.I No. 684 of 2007), which provide for the authorisation of local authority wastewater discharges by the EPA. The Regulations require discharges from agglomerations with population equivalents greater than 500 to be licensed on a phased basis related to the size of the agglomeration. Penalties applying to offences under the Regulations are a fine of up to €5,000 on summary conviction and up to €500,000 on conviction on indictment.