Latest news with #waterinfrastructure
Irish Times
12 hours ago
- General
- Irish Times
Ireland is like the paradox of Schrödinger's cat: a wet country that has too little water
Debates about whether we need 50,000 new houses a year, as the Government says, or 93,000, as some analysts say, are arguably pointless: neither total is possible as there simply isn't the water there to supply them, or to process their waste. Just 30,000 to 35,000 new houses can be supplied each year for the foreseeable future according to Uisce Éireann . Quite the gap. In 2013, Irish Water – as it was called – inherited a severely neglected water infrastructure system. The average age of a water pipe is about 75 years – double the European average – and leaky as a Government backbencher. At about 37 per cent, our water leakage levels are among the highest in western Europe due to these ageing underground pipes and a legacy of fragmented ownership of the network with historically variable levels of maintenance. Tralee alone loses 6.5 million litres a day in leaks, enough water for a town twice its size. Ireland also uses a lot of water compared to the rest of Europe, 1.7 billion litres daily, with domestic usage accounting for two-thirds of this and non-domestic consumers the balance. Uisce Éireann is expecting non-domestic demand in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) to increase by 67 per cent by 2040. READ MORE As in housing, geography matters. While the west and south of the country has more rainfall and better water supplies, it is in the east of the country that demand is intensifying, exactly where rainfall is lower and river systems are smaller. About 80 per cent of our drinking water comes from rivers and lakes with the remainder from groundwater, mostly in rural areas. The GDA, with 40 per cent of the country's population, relies heavily on Vartry reservoir and the Liffey, the latter of which supplies 85 per cent of Dublin city's water. Such a narrow base of water supply means systemic vulnerability in case of drought or peak demand. At the same time, population growth means that domestic water demand across the country will increase by 26 per cent to 2044. [ Fixing 'known' water system issues will take until 2050 and cost up to €60bn, says Uisce Éireann ] In the east, the demand for drinking water will increase by 45 per cent to 800 million litres a day in the GDA by 2040, vastly exceeding current capacity. Two-thirds of towns and villages do not have the 'infrastructural headroom' to support new development without upgrades, which is essential for rural revitalisation. We also need to deal with wastewater. More than half of our wastewater treatment plants are not always compliant with their licences, and Ireland has been in continuous breach of various parts of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive for more than 30 years. In rural areas, more than half the septic tanks inspected last year failed. Just 1,390 of nearly 500,000 were tested, meaning significant risks for surface and groundwater quality. Various studies have noted evidence of faecal contamination in rural wells. There are solutions, the quickest of which is to change usage behaviour and the quickest way to do that is to charge for water. That didn't go down well the last time it was tried. Tánaiste Simon Harris recently promised the Government will not introduce water charges, although he also promised we'd complete 40,000 houses last year. The actual number of new homes completed was 30,330. There is a plan to charge for 'excess' water and wastewater usage (above 213,000 litres per average household annually), but there's no timeline or legislation yet for its introduction. Behavioural interventions like awareness campaigns are also useful: more nudge, less sludge. Better planning decisions about where new housing is allowed to integrate water supply and output also have a role. Rainwater and downpipe harvesting should be part of every new house. Fixing leaks and upgrading existing infrastructure are, however, key. Uisce Éireann spends €250 million a year reducing leaks from 46 per cent in 2018 and is aiming for 25 per cent by 2030. The proposed 170km Shannon pipeline to serve the east and midlands will take 350 million litres a day from the Parteen Basin near Birdhill, Co Tipperary. Without this pipeline, there will be no new housing or commercial water connections in the GDA, which will have significant implications for the national economy, the delivery of housing, social equality and sustainable patterns of development. [ Renters forking out €2,000 per month are paying the price for water charges debacle ] This will cost money, which goes to the heart of the issue: successive governments, all of which contained parties of the current Government, have repeatedly underfunded water infrastructure, exactly as they have housing, in both instances expecting the private sector to do the heavy lifting for them. Whereas expensive and volatile private sector reliance has grown exponentially in housing, no private sector involvement in water infrastructure has happened. Maybe no harm. Across the Irish Sea, privatisation of water in England has led to increased shareholder profits and directors' remuneration, and worse leakage and poorer quality water. In housing, ministers castigate local authorities for not doing enough at the same time as cutting funding. In water, there are announcements of increased funding, but as in housing, this is not always new funding, but recycled old funding. Indeed, Uisce Éireann's chairman recently accused the Government of allowing misleading messages of additional funding to permeate ' within Government circles, industry and the general public ', even though there was no additional funding (while politicians simultaneously blame Uisce Éireann for shortages). Pretend money – particularly annually allocated pretend money – won't solve our water supply issue. A wealthy but still penny-wise pound-foolish Government hasn't made the link between functioning infrastructure and housing output, and indeed climate. As a result, Ireland is now the geographical manifestation of Schrödinger's cat: a wet country that is at the same time lacking in water for new housing; a country with numerous energy-hungry data centres, but also a looming potential shortage of electricity for new houses; and more than 15,500 homeless in a country with over 160,000 vacant homes. You'd have to wonder whether anyone is in charge. Dr Lorcan Sirr is senior lecturer in housing at the Technological University Dublin
BBC News
21 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Northumbrian Water to pay £15.7m over network failings
Northumbrian Water has agreed to pay out £15.7m after failures in the maintenance and operations of its sewage and water sector regulator Ofwat said the firm would pay out the "enforcement package" to local environmental causes and improvements to the region's water company's failures led to "excessive spills from storm overflows", the watchdog comes a week after Thames Water was fined a record £122.7m having broken rules over sewage treatment and paying out dividends. Ofwat said the enforcement package for Northumbrian Water was "greater than the penalty which would otherwise have been imposed" if it had fined the also said the package agreed with the company meant it would be spent on local improvements for customers, rather than being directed to the Treasury's consolidated fund. 'Unacceptable' impact Northumbrian Water chief executive Heidi Mottram said: "We agree with Ofwat's announcement that the financial settlement will be directed into speeding up our storm overflow reduction plans and in meaningful local initiatives via our Branch Out fund."This investment, which will come entirely from Northumbrian Water shareholders and will not be paid for by customers' bills, will enhance our ongoing efforts to support local communities and protect and improve the natural environment here in the North East."Lynn Parker, senior director for enforcement at Ofwat, said: "Our investigation has found failures in how Northumbrian Water has operated and maintained some of its sewage works and networks, which has resulted in excessive spills from storm overflows."The contraventions we have found at some of their sites will have had an impact on the local environment and customers and it is unacceptable."She added Ofwat now expected the water company "to move at pace to correct the issues our investigation has identified".Northumbrian Water said in December last year it planned to increase its average water bills by around 21% over the next five years. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
Northumbrian Water to pay out £15.7m after sewage and water network failings
Northumbrian Water has agreed to pay out £15.7 million after failures in the maintenance and operations of its sewage and water network. Water sector regulator Ofwat said the firm will pay out the 'enforcement package' to local environmental causes and improvements to the region's water infrastructure. Bosses at the watchdog said its failures led to 'excessive spills from storm overflows'. It comes a week after Thames Water was fined a record £122.7 million after it was found to have broken rules over sewage treatment and paying out dividends. Ofwat said the enforcement package is 'greater than the penalty which would otherwise have been imposed' if it had fined the business. It also said the package agreed with the company means it will be spent on local improvements for customers, rather than being directed to the Treasury's consolidated fund. Northumbrian Water chief executive Heidi Mottram said: 'We agree with Ofwat's announcement that the financial settlement will be directed into speeding up our storm overflow reduction plans and in meaningful local initiatives via our Branch Out fund. 'This investment, which will come entirely from Northumbrian Water shareholders and will not be paid for by customers' bills, will enhance our ongoing efforts to support local communities and protect and improve the natural environment here in the North East.' Lynn Parker, senior director for enforcement at Ofwat, said: 'Our investigation has found failures in how Northumbrian Water has operated and maintained some of its sewage works and networks, which has resulted in excessive spills from storm overflows. 'The contraventions we have found at some of their sites will have had an impact on the local environment and customers and it is unacceptable. 'We are pleased that Northumbrian Water has agreed this package. 'We now expect them to move at pace to correct the issues our investigation has identified. 'We hope more companies will follow this example so that the public sees transformative change across the sector.' Northumbrian Water said in December last year that it plans to increase its average water bills by around 21% over the next five years.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Ottawa homeowners facing 5% increase in water bills a year over 10 years to fund infrastructure upgrades
Ottawa residents will be paying $5 more a month on their water bill over the next 10 years, as the city turns on the financial taps to fix up and expand the city's water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. A report for the finance and corporate services committee shows the city's water, wastewater and stormwater services need $4.8 billion in capital spending between 2026 and 2035. Of that amount, $4 billion will be spent to renew existing water and wastewater assets. According to the plan, the city will fund $3 billion of the infrastructure work through water, wastewater and stormwater revenues, with $1.7 billion from new debt. Staff told the finance and corporate services committee that the city will spend $450 million to $500 million each year over the next 10 years, with the capital assets expected to be in service for up to 100 years. 'The funding strategy addresses all the 'priority needs' in the first 10 years of the plan and leverages debt funding in order to advance these projects,' staff said Tuesday. Currently, the city's operating revenues provide capital funding of approximately $307 million a year. To fill a $169 million a year financial gap, the city will finance infrastructure upgrades to water, wastewater and stormwater services through rate increases and new debt. 'The recommended funding strategy aims to completely eliminate the funding gap for priority capital needs in every year of the ten-year planning period, by shifting a portion of the cash contributions annually to debt servicing to advance funding,' staff said. 'The impact to the ratepayer is minimized since the overall revenue requirement remains stable but the debt servicing ratio does increase, but within affordable limits.' Under the plan to cover operating and capital cost requirements, residential water bills will increase between 4.5 per cent and 5.6 per cent a year over the next 10 years, with a 4.5 per cent hike in 2026, a 4.9 per cent jump in 2027 and 5.6 per cent increases in 2031 and 2032. Staff say this is an estimated water rate increase, and the actual increase will be determined each year during the budget process. 'The estimated rate increases required to recover costs will differ by service with an overall estimated average of 5.0 per cent over the 10 years, which equates to $5.00 more per month for the average residential property,' the report says. The city will also use debt serving charges and reserve fund balances to fund the infrastructure renewal and expansion. The City of Ottawa says the conditions of its assets range from 'good' for drinking water services, to 'good to fair' for wastewater and stormwater services. According to the City of Ottawa's Drinking Water Services Asset Management Plan, five per cent of Ottawa's watermains for drinking water services are in poor condition, while seven per cent of water facilities are in poor condition. The City of Ottawa's water, wastewater and stormwater assets include 9,600 kilometres of water, wastewater and stormwater pipes, the Lemieux and Britannia water purification plans, the Robert O. Pickard Environment Centre, the city's sewage treatment plant, 86 pump stations, and over 6,600 culverts.
Asharq Al-Awsat
4 days ago
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Water Authority Conducts 5,000 Inspections on Water Networks in Holy Sites, Makkah
The Saudi Water Authority (SWA), in collaboration with partners in the water sector, is conducting intensive inspection tours across the holy sites and Makkah to ensure the readiness and reliability of water supply systems for this year's Hajj. As the peak Hajj season approaches, the authority is intensifying its monitoring of 14 critical water service networks in Makkah and the holy sites, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday. These networks represent one of the world's most advanced and integrated water infrastructures, dedicated to serving pilgrims. They encompass potable water systems, sewage networks, cooling water, sprinkler systems, and firefighting infrastructure. Specialized teams continuously monitor these networks to maintain operational readiness, anticipate potential malfunctions, and promptly identify any technical issues or operational violations, enabling immediate corrective action. As part of an early monitoring strategy, approximately 5,000 inspection rounds have been carried out by 12 dedicated field teams, totaling over 2,000 hours of on-site work to date.
