Water outages in Ireland last three times longer on average than the worst-performing comparisons in England and Wales, the utility regulator has found.
In filings published on Wednesday, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) outlined a range of concerns and criticised Uisce Éireann‘s performance on several fronts.
In its performance assessment framework, the CRU found that in 2023, the average minutes of lost supply per property was 555 – or 9¼ hours – compared to an average of between two minutes in the area covered by Portsmouth Water and 182 minutes in the South East Water area in the United Kingdom.
While the CRU recognised British operators benefit from greater investment over a longer period, it was “still concerned that the minutes of lost supply reported by Uisce Éireann is three times higher than the worst-performing metric reported in England and Wales”.
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It said it was “very concerned” about the number of people served by supplies on boil-water notices for more than 30 days, where it saw a “significant increase” to 62,645 in 2023 compared to 24,196 in 2022.
Uisce Éireann said this increase was in part due to greater testing.
Similarly, the CRU was “very concerned” about the number of once-off incidents relating to wastewater, which increased to 1,141 in 2023 from 1,080 in 2022, a “significant distance” from targets. Uisce Éireann said weather events and “network issues” cause this number to fluctuate.
It outlined that the CRU is “very concerned” that Uisce Éireann has failed to report data on several metrics, including security of water supply, leakage and sewer incidents. It has written to the utility demanding fresh data no later than the end of June.
It said failure to provide the information “hinders” the ability to understand performance, rendering it non-compliant with regulations.
The CRU report details the performance of Uisce Éireann, incorporating data from 2023, the most up-to-date available. It says that public reporting acts as a “reputational incentive” for the utility.
Uisce Éireann said the report recognised progress in many areas, provided positive findings and noted progress on several fronts. It said that since 2023, boil-water notices and raw-sewage discharges had reduced while drinking water quality had also been improved.
It said it would provide information requested “as soon as possible”, adding that “sustained investment” is required for many decades to offset underinvestment. The utility highlighted the State’s “unique context”, including the dispersed and fragmented nature of water.
Uisce Éireann called for planning and consenting reforms to achieve its targets.
The CRU said it welcomed “significant investment” by Uisce Éireann and recognised “urgency of progress” in the utility’s transformation programme. “The CRU looks forward to seeing greater evidence of a more effective and efficient national water utility as the programme concludes.”
