Substandard rural water supplies will be eliminated during the lifetime of this Government, the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, said yesterday.
He was announcing details of a €100 million fund which will be spent on rural water supplies this year. County councils receiving the largest grant allocations include Monaghan, Galway, Cavan, Clare and Mayo.
Some 38,000 households will benefit from the funding, leaving a further 12,000 households in need of an upgraded supply.
"The present situation whereby a huge number of group schemes do not meet basic drinking water standards is totally unsatisfactory," Mr Cullen said. "We must deal with the problem now, once and for all."
A new water services Bill will be introduced later this year to give local authorities the power to take over the running of water schemes if they have not met the necessary standards by next year.
The latest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report on drinking water found that more than 30 per cent of private group water schemes were contaminated by faecal coliforms (bacteria indicating contamination by sewage or farm slurry) in 2001.
Some 20 per cent of public water supplies were similarly contaminated. The quality of water supplied by group schemes to some 145,000 rural households was unsatisfactory, according to the EPA report.
More stringent EU regulations on drinking water quality will come into force on January 1st next year, but earlier this year the Minister conceded Ireland would not be ready to meet the terms of the regulations.
Yesterday, he said he had increased capital spending on rural water supplies by almost 50 per cent, compared with last year.
"We cannot allow this to continue to tarnish Ireland's image at home or abroad," Mr Cullen said yesterday.
The 2003 programme includes €19 million funding for the provision of water treatment equipment for 237 individual group water schemes, serving over 33,000 rural households.
Almost €8 million will be spent on taking over group water schemes this year. According to the Minister, county councils will take over some 20 private schemes serving 600 households this year.
More than €34 million will be spent on new group schemes and on upgrading existing ones this year.
County councils will receive funds to connect over 100 schemes serving 4,500 households, to their own public water supply networks.
The largest grant allocation of €8.282 million will go to Monaghan County Council, followed by a total allocation of €7.295 million for Donegal County Council and €5.55 million for Cavan County Council. Clare County Council will receive €5.35 million while Mayo will receive €5.3 million
Mr Cullen said some county councils were not as active as others in improving water quality. "I am asking those not in the vanguard of that push to redouble their efforts, to give greater support to group schemes with their upgrading proposals and to make up lost ground."
