FACTSHEET N.8: ISSUE: Getting Wise About

Water Theme: Recycle and re-use (water management)

Context

The efficient supply of water to homes and industry is the responsibility of the 88 local authorities around Ireland. The funding for maintaining and improving the water supply infrastructure (pipes, filtration and disinfection systems) comes from the Departmentof Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

Capital water schemes

Public water mains are administered and maintained by local authorities. This water is supplied to homes and businesses in urban areas. The provision and upgrading of capital projects in water and waste water services is provided by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The local authority administers the actual building of approved water supply projects. Stringent water testing is carried out on all public waters by local authorities and the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Water Investment Programme - Proposed new domestic water charges

Because the water charge for domestic water supply was abolished in 1997, charges are only levied on water supplied to commercial premises.

Last year The Minister for the Environment John Gormley ordered a review of the water services investment programme, in order to address the ongoing issue of unaccounted for water and ensure value for money in the overall programme, which includes investment in water treatment and wastewater treatment plants.

The 2010 Budget, which was announced on 9 December 2009, indicated that a system of water metering for homes will be introduced. Water charges will be based on the amount consumed above a free allocation.

The Minister has announced on 25th January 2010 that investment in replacing water mains will increase five-fold to €300 million over the next three years as part of a revised water investment programme.

Exchequer investment in water infrastructure has increased to an average of €500 million per annum since 2007, and the €4.6 billion the State has spent in the last decade is paying dividends. However the difficulties experienced by thousands of householders across the country show clearly that there are still huge issues with our water infrastructure and consumption of water that need to be addressed.”

Our approach to drinking water in Ireland has been unsustainable, and we must change that approach, from the investment and management of our network to how we as households value the resource that comes out of our tap.

In particular we have a real problem with unaccounted for water with losses ranging from 16.8 per cent to 58.6 per cent depending on what part of the country you are in. This is completely unacceptable and must be urgently addressed.

Over the last seven years €140 million was spent on water conservation. The new programme is a significant ramping up of this investment, with €300 million of water conservation contracts to commence over the coming three years.

The water conservation programme involves putting water management systems in place to monitor water use and losses throughout the supply networks, fixing leaks and replacing defective pipes where repair is no longer an economic option.

Most counties have completed or are close to completing the initial phases of this programme, and this provides the platform for intensive investment in mains rehabilitation which will be a key priority under the next water services investment programme for 2010 to 2012.

In addition the Minister will also bring proposals to Government in the coming weeks regarding the installation of water meters to 1.1 million homes connected to the public water mains supply across the country.

Following the phased installation of water meters, households will be charged for water services based on usage in line with the government commitment. .The Department is currently examining the various options to ensure the delivery of the metering programme in the most cost effective manner, but it is expected that the roll-out of meters will begin in 2011.

The metering system will allow for much better network management by local authorities, and it should also help consumers adjust their consumption patterns.

International experience of reductions in water consumption would indicate that there can be significant water savings arising from the installation of meters. A recent report for the UK Government found average savings of 16 per cent per household accrued from the installation of meters.

Water quality

Local authorities are responsible for monitoring the quality of the water supply in their areas. In addition, water supplies are tested by the health boards to make sure that the water is safe to drink. New EU drinking water regulations, that make it imperative for all public mains and group water schemes and private wells to conform to the highest possible standards of safety, came into effect in March 2007.

Water conservation

The Water Services Act 2007 provides for the conservation of water where leakage occurs due to unrepaired pipes or equipment, or where poor management results in wastage or excessive consumption of water.

The regulations also apply to water restrictions in times of water shortages. A local authority can make an order to stop or restrict the use of water supplies for:

  • Watering gardens, recreational parks or sports grounds
  • Washing cars and trailers (including by commercial car wash facilities)
  • Filling or replenishing swimming pools, ponds and lakes
  • Irrigating or spraying crops.

It is an offence with penalties attached if you do not comply with a water conservation order.

Policy relevance and policy references

Water Quality

The primary challenge that Ireland faces over the next decade is to achieve ‘good water status’ for all waters by 2015 as set out in the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Not all waters in Ireland currently meet this good status objective.

The main threat to surface water quality is eutrophication, which is the over-abundant growth of plant and algae arising from excess nutrients in the water. The nutrients of concern are phosphorus and nitrogen, which come mainly from agricultural manures and fertilisers, sewage and detergents.

The quality of our public drinking water supplies remains high. However, the poor microbiological quality of the private group water schemes and groundwater continue to be challenges for authorities responsible for drinking water.

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD)

On 22 December 2000, the European Union (EU) passed a new piece of legislation, the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in response to the increasing threat of pollution and the increasing demand from the public for cleaner rivers, lakes and beaches. This is the most significant piece of water quality legislation to be developed by the EU for at least twenty years and it will revolutionise the way we manage one of our most important resources.

Previous European water legislation set objectives aimed at protecting particular uses of the water environment from the effects of pollution and guarding the water environment from dangerous chemical substances. The WFD takes many of these objectives forward. More importantly, it also introduces additional, broader ecological objectives that are designed to defend, and where necessary restore the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems.

The Directive establishes an original, integrated approach to the protection, improvement and sustainable use of rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal waters and groundwater within Europe. It impacts on the management of water quality and water resources and affects conservation, fisheries, flood defense, planning and environmental monitoring. It requires us to control all impacts –physical, polluting or otherwise – on our water resource.

The objectives of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) are to protect all high status waters, prevent further deterioration of all waters and to restore degraded surface and ground waters to good status by 2015. A major programme is under way to achieve this ambitious target.

Specifically the WFD aims to:

  • protect/enhance all waters (surface, ground and coastal waters)
  • achieve "good status" for all waters by December 2015
  • manage water bodies based on river basins (or catchments)
  • involve the public
  • streamline legislation

National regulations implementing the directive have been put in place in 2003.

The primary focus of the Directive is to achieve 'good' ecological status for all waters by 2015.

The Directive:

  • Considers the full range of the water environment, from "Source to Sea" i.e.groundwaters, rivers, lakes, estuaries, transitional waters and coastalwaters.
  • Considers theimpact upon wetlands of the management of water quality and quantity.
  • Sets environmental objectives, which take account of the full range of pressures upon the aquatic environment (pollution, abstraction, flowregulation/transfer and habitat impact). The emphasis being onecological quality.
  • Ecological status is divided into five classes (high, good, moderate, poor and bad) and is derived from measurements of biological, hydro morphological and physio-chemical elements. The measurement of the biological elements includes aquatic flora (plants), benthicinvertebrates (small animals that live on the bottom of rivers, lakesand coastal water bodies) and fish.
  • Promotes sustainable use of water resources.
  • Defines a planning, management and reporting system based upon River Basin Districts and International River Basin Districts. These are based upon large river basins or a combination of smaller neighbouring basins and include all rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal waters and associatedgroundwaters.
  • Involves social participation and transparency. Member States have to involve as many parties as possible (e.g. stakeholders, local and regional authorities,water users and environmental groups) in drafting, discussing andupdating River Basin Management Plans.

The Water Framework Directive and its relationship with other legislation

The Directive, due to its wide-reaching nature, will eventually replace a number of the other water quality directives (for example, those on Surface Water Abstraction, Freshwater Fisheries and Shellfish Waters) and implementation of others (for example, the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control, Urban Waste Water Treatment, Habitats and Nitrates Directives) will form part of the 'basic measures' for the Water Framework Directive.

The new approach of the Water Framework Directive

The Directive states that water quality management be centered on river basins, which are natural geographical areas that occur in the landscape. This is in contrast to other water management systems which use administrative management units which have arbitrary boundaries.

Management of these basins will be achieved through management plans, a plan being created for each River Basin District. "Characterisation Reports" must be in place for every River Basin District. The reports give an account of each basin, including the pressures and impacts caused by humans. The report is necessary to work out whether such effects are likely to inhibit the accomplishment of good status.

The scientific assessment of the river basin that is contained in the Characterisation Report is vital for the production of the "Programme of Measures". The Programme of Measures consists of policies and strategies, such as monitoring programmes, that are intended to reduce the risk to water bodies and allow them to attain good status.

Intro for the radio programme

Water is a wonderful resource that we rarely appreciate. Water is available all around us but can you imagine a life without access to clean, free water? Like all resources we should be mindful of how much we use and how we can minimise pollution. In this episode of the Dynamo Effect we will explore how to save water in the house, garden and at work. We can do simple things like turning off the taps when we are not using them and more complex things like installing a rainwater harvesting system to water the plants in the garden.

Key Messages for Listeners

Water is a valuable natural resource which is generally taken for granted in a country like Ireland where we get so much rainfall.

Water - what you can do

By becoming wise about water you can

dramatically reduce the quantity of water you use at home, in school and at work and so reduce both the demand for treated water and the volume of wastewater generated

reduce the chemicals that can impact on our waters

Water wise

  • Use environmentally safe cleaning products to reduce the impact of chemicals on our waters.
  • Don’t pour paint, antifreeze or other chemicals down a drain – dispose of unwanted chemicals, solvents and oils responsibly.

Save water

  • Conserve water and reduce the generation of wastewater by repairing any leaks or dripping taps in your home. A dripping tap can waste up to 90 litres of water a day.
  • Use a basin when washing dishes – it can save up to 10 litres every time.
  • Taking a shower instead of a bath – this can save 300 litres of water per person per week. A power shower though can use more water than a bath.
  • Running the washing machine and dishwasher only with a full load.
  • Brushing your teeth with the tap off uses only 1 litre of water, compared to 6 litres per minute when the tap is left running.
  • Washing your car with a bucket of water will take only 10 litres on average. A hosepipe will use 9 litres per minute.
  • Installing a water-saving device in your cistern to save up to 3 litres a flush.
  • Collecting rainwater for watering your plants.

Market development- supply/ Changing behavior

taptips.ie is a public water conservation awareness campaign set up by Dublin City Council, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Fingal County Council, South Dublin County Council, Wicklow County Council, Bray Town Council and Kildare County Council in 2008 to provide practical information on saving water in the home, school and workplace

Supporting mechanism

Rural Water Programme

This programme is administered by the local authorities and is comprised of a number of measures to address deficiencies in:

  • group water schemes
  • small public water and sewerage schemes
  • private supplies where no alternative group or public supply is available.

The National Federation of Group Water Schemes (NFGWS)

The National Federation of Group Water Schemes was established to represent the interests of the many members of group water schemes in Ireland. At the moment, the Federation (with the support of the Department) is advocating the provision of high-tech water treatment facilities for group schemes. This involves the grouping of schemes under a single contract that covers the building of these state-of-the-art water treatment facilities and their subsequent operation and maintenance.

Individual Supply Grant Scheme

Under this scheme, if your house is more than 7 years old and not connected to either a public or group scheme, you will be eligible for a grant, (subject to some conditions). The grant is worth up to €2,031.58 (or 75% of cost of the work, whichever is the lesser) and must be used to for the provision of a new water supply or the upgrading of an existing one. Only one grant per house will be allowed in any 10-year period and to qualify for the grant, the work you propose must cost more than €635. A local authority inspection will be carried out before any work starts. The kind of work that would be eligible for the grant is the drilling of a new well or the provision of essential pumping or water filtration/disinfection equipment. For more details and application forms, you should apply to your local authority.

Group Water Grant Scheme

Grants are available from your local authority if two or more householders get together to provide their homes and farms with a water system where none exists. A committee that represents the group scheme members must propose the scheme and the local authority must approve it. The local authority examines the plans for each scheme to ensure that they are built and will perform to the highest standards. Advisors from the Department of the Environment and Local Government are available at all stages of the formation of the scheme but group members must organise plans and planning permission themselves. The amount of grant payable depends on where the scheme is located. You should check with your local authority for details of your area. Generally, a grant will cover 85% of the cost, with a limit of put on each house in the scheme. The group members must cover the balance of the cost but these can be kept down if they are willing to do some of the labour. It is up to the members to arrange finance and to decide how much each member will pay. The most common method is a flat rate per house but financial circumstances can be taken into account, as can voluntary labour.

Subsidy towards the operational costs of group water schemes

Local authorities are responsible for giving subsidies to group water schemes that provide a water supply for domestic purposes. The water must be of a high quality and the local authority must be satisfied with the way the group conducts its affairs. This scheme came into operation in 1997 and its objective is to ensure the improvement of rural water supplies. After the abolition of domestic water charges in 1997, it was intended that this scheme would extend those benefits to households supplied by group water schemes. The amount of subsidy is 100% of the qualifying expenditure, meaning that all the running costs of the scheme are covered by the subsidy as long as they do not exceed the subsidy limit. This must be approved by the local authority. The current limits are: