Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 446: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of known incidents where the pollution of lakes, rivers, streams and canals took place where the source was inadequate or malfunction of local authority sewerage treatment facilities; the action taken to address each of these issues; the number of other sensitive locations likely to be at risk from such pollution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37610/10]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The most recent three-year report on water quality, by the Environmental Protection Agency, Water Quality in Ireland 2004-2006, identifies nutrient enrichment causing eutrophication as the main threat to water quality in Ireland. Municipal sources (mainly sewage discharges) and agricultural activities are identified as the main sources of nutrient enrichment.

Of the 2,985 river and stream sites examined in the report, a total of 39 locations were assessed as seriously polluted. Municipal sources were suspected to be the likely cause of pollution in 21 of these cases. A further 386 sites were considered to be moderately polluted with municipal sources being the suspected cause in 166 of these cases.

The Department continues to invest substantially in the development of national water services capacity through the Water Services Investment Programme. The Programme for 2010-2012, which was drawn up following a review of programme priorities, includes some 160 contracts for waste water infrastructure to start during this period, with a total value of circa €1 billion.

The current Programme is aligned with the priorities identified in the first cycle of River Basin Management Plans and has also taken into account relevant EPA reports on waste water discharges.

Discharges from local authority waste water treatment plants are subject to authorisation by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Waste Water Discharge (Authorisation) Regulations 2007. The Agency may grant or refuse a licence and, where granting a licence, has the power to attach such conditions as are, in the opinion of the Agency, necessary to give effect to the requirements of existing environmental legislation in the field of water policy.