Domestic water charges and metering

Domestic water meter installation

Domestic water meter installation

Domestic water meter installation

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A new system of domestic water charges has been introduced for homes that are connected to a public water supply or to public wastewater services. The system has ignited intense debate and vociferous protests, primarily due to its introduction at a time of austerity and the fact that Ireland receives significant annual rainfall. These protests proved successful as the Water Services Act 2017 passed through the Dáil and Seanad and approved refunds for all customers who had initially paid water charges. However, of the 12,000 lakes in Ireland most are located along the western seaboard and in the centre of Ireland, while most of the population lies in the east. This represents a significant economic challenge in getting water to consumers.

To compensate, two major reservoirs are located in the east: Vartry, at Roundwood in Wicklow, and Poulaphouca, located on the River Liffey at the Wicklow/Kildare border. In the south, the Lee Reservoirs at Carrigadrohid and Innniscara regulate water for Cork City. However, treatment is carried out on all water, whether from lake, river or reservoir, which places a significant burden on funding. Once water has been treated it is pumped into the water network, of which 8,000 km of pipes service County Dublin alone, before arriving at our taps.

Since the scrapping of water charges an Expert commission produced a report that was then approved by an Oireachtas committee who recommended that:

• Domestic water charging under the Water Services Act 2014 should be discontinued and replaced by alternative arrangements, as outlined in the committee’s report
• Domestic water use should be funded through general taxation
• The Water Services Act 2007 should be amended to ensure that wastage, excess use or wilful abuse of water can be addressed, using incentives, levies and other measures proposed in the report
• Conservation of water resources should be embedded as a principle of water policy and a cross-departmental strategy should be developed to increase water conservation
• The principles of equity of treatment and equivalent financial support should be applied equally between households using public water and wastewater systems and households using other systems
• The most effective combination of metering (including the existing stock of domestic meters) should be used in order to promote conservation through leak reduction
• All new domestic buildings should incorporate water conservation fittings
• The role of the Public Water Forum should be further developed and the legislation establishing it should be reviewed
• An overall review of the strategy based on this report should take place after 5 years
• A referendum should be held on the issue of water services continuing in public ownership

More information can be found here.