Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local level, including investment in wastewater treatment plants and returning treated wastewater safely to the environment in an efficient and sustainable manner. The Environmental Protection Agency is the environmental regulator for Uisce Éireann and including compliance in relation to licensed urban waste water discharges.

Since 2014, Uisce Éireann has built new wastewater infrastructure for 24 towns and villages across the country, ending the discharge of raw sewage into the environment. Based on Uisce Éireann’s recent plans, 20 of the remaining towns and villages discharging raw sewage, will have treatment in place by the end of 2025 and the remaining areas are expected to receive treatment by the end of 2028.

As part of Budget 2024, I secured funding of €1.8 billion to support water services and €1.66 billion of this will go to Uisce Éireann. This investment will deliver significant improvements in public wastewater services and improve water quality in rivers, lakes and marine areas.

In relation to the Sligo and Leitrim area, the EPA Urban Wastewater Treatment Report 2022 does not indicate any raw sewage discharges in the Sligo Leitrim area as of mid-2023.