The provision of public wastewater infrastructure is, in the normal course, the statutory responsibility of Uisce Éireann, which plans, delivers, and operates water services and undertakes the necessary capital investment.
My Department has approved significant funding for a pilot scheme to enable local authorities to develop wastewater infrastructure in a number of small settlements that currently cannot access existing Uisce Éireann services. This pilot was limited in scope and there are no plans at present to reopen or extend it.
I have also recently announced a new initiative to promote the delivery of wastewater solutions in locations without access to Uisce Éireann infrastructure or where existing capacity in constrained and no immediate upgrade in planned. It provides for developers to fund and construct wastewater infrastructure in compliance with Uisce Éireann’s technical standards and the applicable environmental requirements. These solutions may include nature-based approaches, such as integrated constructed wetlands. Infrastructure built under this initiative will be transferred to, and thereafter owned and operated by, Uisce Éireann.
There are no proposals within my Department to provide public funding to integrated constructed wetlands or similar schemes operating independently of Uisce Éireann’s capital programme.
Any proposals to address local wastewater capacity constraints must be developed in consultation with Uisce Éireann.
