Following a 2017 paper by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services, a Rural Water Working Group was established to conduct a review of the wider investment needs of the rural water services sector.
In 2021 TOBIN Consulting Engineers were appointed by the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage to conduct a National Review of Rural Water Services, and to report back to the Rural Water Working Group. The research included all key aspects of the delivery of rural water services (water and wastewater) such as supervision, funding, governance and monitoring.
The project was led by Brian Gallagher, Technical Director, and involved extensive consultation with Local Authorities, HSE, EPA, Group Water Schemes, DBO Contractors, and NFGWS.
The findings of the study, as set out in the Output Report were presented to members of the Rural Water Working Group in February 2023. This included a total of 48 recommendations to enhance the workings of the sector. It is hoped that the outputs of the study will lead to significant improvements in the sector in areas such as governance, supervision and monitoring.
