Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 566: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress made in regard to the commitment given in the Programme for Government to maximise water efficiency and the re-use of rainwater for non-drinking purposes. [19387/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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My Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2007 — 2009 incorporates a national water conservation sub-programme under which grant aid of €288 million is available over the three years to local authorities to fund: management systems to monitor water use and loss in the public supply networks, targeted leakage control measures, whereby local authorities locate and repair leaking pipes; and the rehabilitation and replacement of obsolete supply networks, where repair has proven to be uneconomic due to the age or condition of the pipes.

These measures enable local authorities to reduce unaccounted for water levels in public distribution networks, improve the quality of supply to consumers, lower operating costs and maximise the value of investments in new works. Article 9.1 of the EU Water Framework Directive requires Member States to take account of the principle of water services cost recovery, including environmental and resource costs, in accordance with the polluter pays principle. The Directive is being implemented in Ireland in relation to the non-domestic sector on the basis of recovery of all non-domestic water services costs from non-domestic users of the services through water charges. This is being achieved by means of a meter based volumetric charge to ensure water charging of users according to actual consumption. The metering of all non-domestic users is expected to be completed before the end of 2008. Water charging in respect of non-domestic use should incentivise efficiency and conservation.

A pilot rainwater harvesting project is being undertaken by the Dublin Institute of Technology on behalf the National Rural Water Monitoring Committee. The overall objective of the project is to: determine the role and benefit of rainwater harvesting as a demand management tool; quantify the amount of harvestable rainwater at farmyard and domestic building level; measure and compare rainwater against mains water usage for farm use and for domestic purposes; determine the costs and benefits involved and calculate the pay-back period; and produce guidelines on rainwater harvesting based on experience with the project.

There are two separate elements to the pilot project, a household application and a farmyard application. The household project is being undertaken in a private housing development in Co. Carlow, supplied from a small public water scheme. The farmyard project is located in a farm in County Meath. It involves the harvesting of water from three barns, each with a total roof area of 1,000 sq metres. Monitoring of the operation of the project is ongoing.