Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 176: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the extent to which it has been possible to eliminate leakage in the water supply system; the percentage of the infrastructure currently deemed free from leakage; the extent of work still to be done in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31438/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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My Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2013 places a high priority on water conservation. Funding is particularly targeted at areas where the level of unaccounted for water is unacceptably high. In the year to end September 2011, some 200 kilometres of public water supply pipes were replaced or rehabilitated under this programme.

Since the national water conservation programme was implemented in 2003, over €208 million has been specifically invested in water conservation measures by my Department. In addition, local authorities fund active leakage control, detection and repair from their own operational budgets. Most of the effort to date has been focused on putting in place the water management systems to allow for active leakage control and better planning of mains rehabilitation. Most local authorities have now prepared watermains rehabilitation strategies, which set out the priority mains for replacement and repair and provide the platform for accelerated investment in this area over the coming years. The primary objective of this programme of work is to reduce water loss and leakage in the distribution networks to an economic level and to address high levels of unaccounted for water.

Over time, this investment coupled with ongoing active leakage control should lead to marked reductions in unaccounted for water and improve service to customers. Progress is monitored on an annual basis through the local authority service indicators and through the collection of data from local authorities. The most recent published comparative figures for unaccounted for water in each county are set out in the report Service Indicators in Local Authorities 2010 which was published by the Local Government Management Services Board in December 2011, a copy of which is in the Oireachtas Library.

The proposed water metering programme will complement the continuing programme of investment in water mains rehabilitation and replacement. The installation of water meters will encourage households to conserve water, reduce consumption and will ensure that customer side leaks can be identified and fixed. Metering will, therefore, achieve significant reductions in the volumes of water that are required to be produced and treated and will lead to savings in the operational costs of delivering water services and in deferred capital expenditure.