Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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1044. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of efforts to comply with the European Drinking Water Directive; and his plans to take appropriate action further to the issuing of the reasoned opinion by the European Commission on Ireland's alleged non-compliance with the directive since 2003. [7369/20]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The objective of the Drinking Water Directive is to protect human health and to ensure that drinking water is wholesome and clean.

The EPA consistently reports that quality of public water supplies is very good at a national level. Irish Water is continuing to invest in solving the remaining priority issues, with a particular focus on improving the reliability and resilience of our public water system.

I also recognise that Ireland’s private supplies, which serve up to a fifth of our population, must be appropriately protected and improved. This forms a core objective of the Government's investment in rural water supplies and forms part of the review of rural water services that is currently underway. Sustained investment in Ireland’s public and private water sector is essential.

On 19 July 2018, the European Commission issued a Letter of Formal Notice to Ireland citing 73 public drinking water supplies and 24 private group water schemes each with elevated concentrations of a group of disinfection by-product chemicals called trihalomethanes (THMs). These chemicals are formed during disinfection when raw waters have high levels of natural organic material.

Ireland’s response to the Letter of Formal Notice on 19 October 2018 highlighted plans for investment to resolve this issue in each supply by upgrading and improving treatment processes and outlined the significant progress that had already been made in addressing excess THM formation in both public and private water supplies. This was followed up by a further progress report to the Commission in May 2019. On 14 May 2020, the Commission escalated the infringement and issued a ‘Reasoned Opinion’ to Ireland regarding a failure to fulfil obligations under Articles 4 of Directive 98/83/EC on drinking water.

The 2018 Letter of Formal Notice had raised the issue of informing, advising and notifying consumers under Article 8(3) and (7) of the Drinking Water Directive. The Commission has decided, having assessed Ireland’s reply, to not to pursue allegations under these provisions in the Reasoned Opinion.

The Commission now states Ireland has infringed the requirements of the Directive in relation to 31 public water supplies and in 13 private group water schemes, with regard to elevated concentrations of THMs, failing to take remedial action as soon as possible, and failing to give priority to its enforcement action.

The EPA’s Remedial Action List for public water supplies is published on a quarterly basis. The most recent update relates to Q1 2020, and shows that of the 31 public water supply zones named in the Reasoned Opinion, a further 13 are now compliant with the THM parameters. Information in relation to the status of the private group water schemes is currently being compiled in my Department.

My Department is working closely with Irish Water, the EPA, local authorities and the National Federation of Group Water Schemes to develop a comprehensive reply to the Reasoned Opinion, outlining the progress already made and a programme of works to address excess THMs in the remaining 18 water supply zones and the private group water schemes in the shortest practicable timeframe.

Irish Water continues to develop and implement a long-term investment perspective in order to strategically address the deficiencies in the public water and waste water system. Building water and waste water treatment plants, as well as upgrading or building new water and waste water networks, requires significant and sustained investment. The National Development Plan 2018-2027 provides for significant investment in public water and wastewater infrastructure over the course of the plan to ensure the continued operation, repair and upgrading of Ireland’s water and waste water infrastructure to support social and economic development across the State and ensure compliance with EU Directives.