€1.56 million earmarked for Westmeath water supplies

Efforts to improve rural water supplies across Westmeath will benefit from a funding injection of €1.56 million in 2009, the second lowest allocation in the midlands,. It transpired this week following the announcement of the Rural Water Programme by Minister of State, Michael Kitt. The monies earmarked for Westmeath water supplies is well below the €2.535 million earmarked for Offaly and €1.85 million for Laois. Only Longford got less than the Lake County in the region in the latest round of allocations, with €1.29 million. However, the Westmeath allocation really pales in significance when compared with the Roscommon County Council total of €8.58 million to upgrade water supplies and in particular, group water schemes throughout the county during the year. In total, €100 million will be spent nationwide to upgrade water infrastructure, mainly to improve drinking water quality in community owned group water schemes. There are as many as 5,500 such group schemes throughout Ireland providing drinking water for over 170,000 households, as well as for farms and other local businesses. Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Michael Kitt said that the €100m funding for 2009 would bring 'to the threshold of completion' the action plan to improve rural water supplies that had been adopted in response to the EU proceedings. The Minister expressed his disappointment that, despite the progress that had been made in upgrading the vast majority of sub-standard group water supplies around the country, 'a handful of groups are failing to engage and are continuing to provide their members with poor quality water'. Sounding a warning note, the Minister said that local authorities had been given powers under the Drinking Water Regulations and the 2007 Water Services Act to take decisive action against schemes that were not compliant with drinking water standards. Minister Kitt said that the group schemes concerned must face up to their responsibilities or the local authorities will use the statutory powers now available to them. He added that it would be regrettable if draconian measures had to be taken to convince groups to avail of one of the most generous grants packages ever available. Grants of up to 100% of the cost are available to group water schemes installing new water treatment facilities. The €100m allocation for 2009 will provide €65.7m for measures to improve water quality in group schemes with private sources, such as rivers, lakes and boreholes, €5.4m for new group water schemes and for extensions of existing schemes to cater for growing rural communities, and €28.9m for improvements to smaller public water and sewerage schemes. The Rural Water Programme is funded under the National Development Plan 2007-2013.