Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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391. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the regulations regarding the spreading of organic fertiliser close to a water source; his plans to change the minimum exclusion zone from the bore holes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27237/14]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Nitrates Directive and Ireland's 3rd National Nitrates Action Programme are given legal effect by the European Union (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2014. The objective of the Regulations is to protect ground and surface waters, including drinking water sources, primarily through the management of livestock manures and other fertilisers. In order to protect drinking water sources from the risk of pollution, the Regulations lay down general minimum set back distances around abstraction points used for the abstraction of drinking water for human consumption. Land spreading of organic fertilisers (e.g. manures and slurries) is not permitted within those set back areas. The set-back distance requirements are 200 metres from an abstraction point for a water scheme supplying 100m3 or more of water per day or serving 500 or more persons, 100 metres for an abstraction point for a water scheme supplying 10m3 or more of water per day or serving 50 or more persons, and 25 metres from any borehole, spring or well used for the abstraction of water for human consumption.

These setback distances can be reduced to 30 metres (and 15 metres in the case of small abstractions) where the local authority determines that the reduced distance does not give rise to a risk to the water supply and a potential danger to human health. This requires the local authority to undertake a technical assessment of conditions in the vicinity of the abstraction point, taking into account soil conditions, land-spreading pressures in the area, the type of drinking water abstraction, the available water quality evidence and the likely risk to the drinking water supply source. The Environmental Protection Agency has provided guidance to assist local authorities in this regard.

Ireland's Nitrates Action Programme was substantially reviewed in 2013 in a process that included public consultation. No changes to set back distances from drinking water sources were made on foot of this review. The Programme will be reviewed again in 2017.