Up to 45,000 householders are to benefit from improved water supplies this year under a €145 million rural water scheme announced yesterday.
Co Galway is to get the largest allocation, at more than €19 million. It will be followed by Co Mayo with almost €18 million, Co Limerick with almost €12 million and Co Clare with more than €9 million.
The funding is the largest ever provided in a single year for water supplies and it represents 12 times the allocation of a decade ago.
More than €133 million is being spent on the provision of improved group water schemes, while €12 million is to be provided as a subsidy for existing group schemes.
The money will support 282 existing group schemes and 77 new ones while allowing for some group schemes to be "decommissioned" as households are connected to mains water supplies.
In addition, €4 million is to be provided for a trial phase of vacuum sewers and septic-tank effluent drainage systems for small villages.
The schemes were announced yesterday by Minister for the Environment Dick Roche, who said that the State was close to its goal of upgrading all rural water supply schemes. Speaking in his Dáil constituency at Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, Mr Roche said the "turning point" had been reached in the campaign to rid rural Ireland of sub-standard group water schemes.
He said he was confident that they had "broken the back of the problem" and that the 2006 allocations removed any financial impediment to progress towards full compliance with EU drinking water standards.
The main target of the 2006 work programme will be to accelerate the delivery of improved water supplies to about 45,000 rural households connected to group schemes with sub-standard sources.
"This comprehensive work programme for 2006 will result in major headway being made towards the goal of securing improved water supplies for around 45,000 rural households. This is practically all the rural houses identified in the last census as having a connection to a group scheme with a private source," the Minister said.
Although water treatment was the only certain way to ensure compliance with European drinking water standards, Mr Roche said that the proposed nitrogen regulations were "complementary source protection works" which would "maintain and enhance water quality".
2006 funding: water schemes to which it will flow
Completion of 70 new group water scheme treatment and disinfection plants, serving 19,000 rural houses, by the end of the year.
77 water treatment plants serving a further 17,000 households to be advanced through planning, with up to half starting construction in 2006.
93 quality-deficient group water schemes, serving almost 4,000 houses, to be taken into public charge by county councils.
42 group schemes, serving up to 6,000 houses, to take new connections from local authority public water supply networks.
