Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 435: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding a proposed sewerage scheme (details supplied) in County Cork; if he will elaborate on the type of treatment plant involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3511/12]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 437: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he has received a request for an extension and/or improvement to a sewage treatment scheme (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3513/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 435 and 437 together.

The Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2012, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library, provides for the development of a comprehensive range of new water services infrastructure in County Cork. The Programme includes contracts under construction and to commence to the value of some €230 million in the county during the period of the Programme.

The Programme aims to prioritise projects that target environmental compliance issues and support economic recovery. A key input to the development of the Programme was an assessment of needs prepared by local authorities, at my Department's request to the authorities in 2009. These were subsequently appraised by my Department in the context of the funds available and programme priorities. Inevitably, through this process, certain projects that had been proposed had to give way to others that were more strategically important at the time. Cork County Council submitted proposals for both the Ballingeary and Macroom Sewerage Schemes but it was not possible to include these proposals amongst the priority contracts and schemes selected for inclusion in the Programme.

Progress under the Water Services Investment Programme 2010 - 2012 was reviewed in mid-2011 and through this process, consideration was given to any newly emerging priority contracts and schemes submitted by water services authorities for addition to the Programme. Inclusion of previously submitted projects was only considered where the circumstances had changed. While Ballingeary Sewerage Scheme was included among the proposals received from Cork County as part of this review, as there was no change in circumstances which would alter the priority attached to the project, it was not included amongst the priority contracts and schemes selected as additions to the Programme.

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 436: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the support, if any, available from him for development of anaerobic digestion as a method for sewage treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3512/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Since 1990, my Department has, in funding the provision of secondary waste water treatment plants under the Water Services Investment Programme, also provided funding for anaerobic digestion facilities for sewage sludge treatment at such plants. There are some 15 anaerobic digestion plants in Ireland treating sewage sludge at municipal wastewater treatment plants. Anaerobic digestion is one of a number of processes recommended for producing biosolids from sewage sludge suitable for recycling to agriculture.

The capital cost of an anaerobic digestion facility limits it's suitability to larger plants. Therefore, while processes selected or approved by water services authorities for smaller schemes or group sewerage schemes respectively under the Rural Water Programme, are a matter for the authority concerned, from an economic perspective anaerobic digestion would not be suited to smaller town or village schemes.

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 438: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he has considered any public awareness campaign regarding the excessive discharge of chemicals into public sewers; the resources available for these public awareness campaigns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3514/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I have no plans for a public awareness campaign regarding the discharge of chemicals or any other substances into public sewers. Section 70 of the Water Services Act 2007 provides that an occupier of a premises (or if unoccupied, the owner) shall not permit waste water to be discharged from the premises to a sewer in a manner that causes, or is likely to cause, a risk to human health or the environment, or creates a nuisance through odours. This provision applies to all premises, domestic and non-domestic. In addition, any company that discharges trade effluent to sewers requires an effluent discharge licence which is issued by a local authority under the provisions of the Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts, 1977 and 1990.