The Government is to spend €276 million on a State-wide water conservation programme aimed at reducing the vast quantities of treated water lost through leakage.
The plan comes in the wake of the National Water Study published in 2000, which estimated that up to 47 per cent of all water produced at treatment plants was unaccounted for.
Some of this figure is due to inadequate metering rather than wastage. But announcing the plan yesterday, the Minister for the Environment said improvements in water management technology left no doubt that millions of litres were being "poured into the ground every day".
In many cases, Mr Cullen added, the main factor was the age of water-pipes. Of the 7,200 kilometres of pipeline in the greater Dublin region, 411km dates back more than a century, another 754km is over 80 years old, and a further 900km is at least 60 years old.
Almost half the sum committed to the conservation plan, €118m, will go to the Dublin area.Officials from Dublin Corporation's water division, where the Minister made the announcement, calculate that daily usage of water in Dublin is 500 megalitres, which would fill a tank the size of the Croke Park pitch but five metres higher than the stands.
Mr Cullen commented: "Attempting to service a large population of consumers and business users with outdated infrastructure will not work."On the other hand, he added, the huge increase in demand for water over the past decade had been facilitated by the reduction in leakages already achieved.
"The single best example of this is Dublin where, since the mid-90s, we have managed to meet the requirements of phenomenal growth rates with a combination of modest increases in supply and a comprehensive leakage control campaign, without the water shortages that were a feature of the early 90s."
The €276 million investment builds on fact-finding schemes carried out by 14 local authorities since 1996, on which €63 million has already been spent. Of the new allocation, €194 million will go to the 14 authorities, to complete the studies and carry out "rehabilitation" on their networks.
The other €82.5 million will go to the remaining 17 local authorities to carry out similar studies and make certain improvements.
An indirect benefit of improved water management is the exposure of metering deficiencies in the commercial sector, "thereby identifying new revenues sources for local authorities," the minister said.
Because of the importance of public education on the issue, he added, local authorities would be allowed to use some of the allocations for information and awareness campaigns.
"The demand for water is higher than ever, and particular strains come on the network in the summer months. Consumers cannot afford to be over-indulgent, using water like confetti at a wedding," Mr Cullen said.
