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For Written Answer on : 18/01/2023
Question Number(s): 539 Question Reference(s): 1225/23
Department: Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Asked by: David Stanton T.D.
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QUESTION
To ask the Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage his views on wastewater treatment plants servicing private housing estates on a temporary basis; the number of such wastewater treatment plants in operation in County Cork; his plans, if any, to connect such estates to the Irish Water wastewater treatment system; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
REPLY
I understand that the Question refers to housing estates that are dependent on developer provided water services infrastructure for the provision of their water services.
Under the National Development Plan, for the period 2021-2025, funding of €68.5 million has been allocated to address legacy water services issues including the Developer Provided Water Services Infrastructure Resolution Programme (DPI), run by my Department.
The programme provides funding for the progressive resolution of DPI. It is focused on housing estates which do not have their water services connected to the public (Uisce Éireann) network and are not in the charge of local authorities but rely instead on infrastructure provided by developers.
The focus of the first tranches of funding is on estates where the resolution is to connect their water services to the public networks. Additionally, a study completed by Uisce Éireann in 2022, will inform and assist in developing further policy solutions for estates that, due to distance, it is not viable to connect them to the public network.
Local authorities can provide the current number of estates with temporary waste water treatment plants. However, in 2019 my Department working in partnership with Uisce Éireann conducted a high-level survey of all local authorities in which Cork County Council reported 45 estates with DPI.
Although it will take a number of funding programmes, my Department and I are committed to fully resolving all DPI issues.