Grants worth €20m for water services in rural areas announced

Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy has announced grant supports worth €20 million for water services in rural areas.

The funding is aimed at the improvement of water quality in existing group water schemes and the upgrading and water conservation works in group water scheme distribution networks.

It will support new schemes to enable rural households to have a supply of good-quality piped water to their homes for the first time.

Funding is also being provided towards group sewerage schemes in rural areas and will provide grants for households to upgrade private wells and septic tanks.

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Announcing the funding, Mr Murphy said high-quality sustainable water services are “a fundamental necessity to our lives and do not distinguish between rural or urban areas”.

“This is why the Government continues to prioritise funding for the group water sector in parallel with the overall funding for water services generally,” he said.

Mr Murphy said capital funding for the Rural Water Programme would rise by €5 million to €25 million per year in 2019.

“This enhanced level of investment will be maintained up to 2021.

“Including funding being provided this year, a total of €95 million has been secured for the period 2018 to 2021,” he said.