Ministerial Direction to Uisce Éireann – Water Services Strategic Plan 2024

The Water Services (No.2) Act 2013 requires Uisce Éireann to prepare and submit a 25 year Strategic Plan to the Minister. Section 33(3) of the Act provides that the Water Services Strategic Plan (WSSP) shall be in such form as the Minister directs.

The Act provides that Uisce Éireann shall consult with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), each local authority and each regional authority prior to the development of the WSSP.

The Act (Section 33 (4)) further requires that the WSSP state the objectives of Uisce Éireann for the provision by it of water services over a 25 year period and that the WSSP must set out the means by which Uisce Éireann propose to achieve these objectives including in relation to:

• drinking water quality
• the prevention or abatement of risks to human health or the environment relating to the provision of water services
• existing and projected demand for water services
• existing and planned arrangements for the provision of water services
• existing and reasonably foreseeable deficiencies in the provision of water services
• existing and planned water conservation measures
• the management of water services assets.

Under the Act there is a provision that when preparing the WSSP Uisce Éireann must ensure, as far as practicable, that it is consistent with The National Planning Framework, regional planning guidelines and the most recent River Basin Management Plan.

The Act requires that the WSSP is subject to review at least every five years. These reviews will allow Uisce Éireann to adapt to changing circumstances and evolving needs, ensuring its continued relevance. Updates to the WSSP will be informed by changes in legislation related to water services and better information on asset performance, demographics and climate change.

Uisce Éireann must ensure, as far as practicable, that the WSSP is compatible with Project Ireland 2040 National Planning Framework, contains a clear strategy for supporting balanced regional development and proper planning and sustainable development. The WSSP should also take account of the relevant key objectives of the Regional Planning Guidelines and the core strategies of City and County Development Plans.

The WSSP should focus, at a strategic level, on what water services are likely to be required and what will be delivered rather than a detailed analysis of how it will be delivered.