Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme 2019–2021

The 2019-2021 funding cycle continues to prioritise water quality in privately sourced group schemes.

The 2019-2021 funding cycle of the multi-annual programme consists of eight measures (most are further broken into sub-measures). These measures reflect the key challenges currently facing the rural water sector in respect of funding support. In particular the measures have been more expressly focused around a ‘multiple barriers’ approach, from catchment to consumers (source – treatment - distribution), to prevent the contamination of, and ensure that, drinking water is safe and meets quality parameters of the Drinking Water Regulations[1] on a consistent long-term basis. The eight funding measures are:

• Measure 1 - Source Protection (Group Water Scheme Sector): This measure is aimed at protecting the raw water source of existing group water schemes thus contributing to the safety of water users through the ability of the scheme to sustainably achieve compliance with the water quality parameters of the Drinking Water Regulations on a consistent long-term basis. This is a new stand-alone measure – source protection was formerly covered under Measure 2(e) of the 2016-2018 multi-annual programme as part of the measure ‘Enhancement of existing schemes’,
• Measure 2 - Public health compliance (Group Water Scheme Sector): This measure is aimed at improving water quality in existing group water schemes, through upgrading of their treatment facilities, so that the schemes can sustainably achieve compliance with the parameters of the Drinking Water Regulations on a consistent long-term basis,
• Measure 3 - Enhancement of existing schemes including water conservation (Group Water Scheme Sector): This measure supports projects to make existing group water schemes more efficient in their operation (e.g. water conservation and network upgrades, including storage) and contributing to good water quality on a consistent sustainable long-term basis,
• Measure 4 – New Group Water Schemes: This measure supports social and economic development in rural towns and villages and their hinterlands by providing new group water schemes where public water supply schemes or individual/private wells are not the most viable option,
• Measure 5 – Transition of Existing Group Water Schemes and Group Sewerage Schemes to the Public (Irish Water) Water Sector: This measure enables existing group water schemes and existing group sewerage schemes, where they wish to do so and with the agreement of Irish Water, to transition to the public water sector (Irish Water),
• Measure 6 - Community Connections (Water and Wastewater): This measure facilitates the continued expansion of the coverage of piped water supplies and central wastewater collection systems by extension off the public (Irish Water) network,
• Measure 7 - Innovation and Research: This measure is aimed at issues in the rural water sector which, given the major transition of water services in Ireland, require new and innovative approaches and solutions,
• Measure 8 - Individual wells (more commonly known as private or household wells) and on-site wastewater treatment systems (more commonly known as septic tanks): This measure

is aimed at allowing householders that are dependent on these services to obtain funding support for their improvement.