Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Question 520: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the extent to which over abstraction of water from rivers is a problem in the State; his plans to deal to deal with this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36516/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Ireland, generally, has an abundant natural water resource with a water exploitation index, i.e. the percentage of long-term renewable resources abstracted, well below 10% according to the European Environment Agency. However, a number of individual surface water and groundwater bodies are known to have been impacted by over-abstraction.

The Local Government (Water Pollution) Regulations 1978 require local authorities to maintain a register of water abstractions greater than 25 cubic metres per day but there is no comprehensive national register of water abstractions. Compliance with the 1978 regulations has been variable and as a result, information on the exact number of abstraction points and their location as well as the volume of abstractions is not complete.

For this reason and because Article 11(3)(e) of the Water Framework Directive obliges Member States to implement controls over abstractions, including a register of abstractions and a system of prior authorisation, I intend, subject to Government approval, to bring forward legislation next year to address the situation. As a first step, my Department will commence a public consultation on the matter in the autumn.