The Water Advisory Body use a set of performance indicators selected to represent the activity of Irish Water to monitor how well Irish Water is performing, and this is reported in the Quarterly Report. The aim is to improve the transparency and accountability of Irish Water and to assess the implementation of its Strategic Funding Plan.
Q4 2021 Report published recently assessed progress on 11 indicators in total, including progress on reducing the Remedial Action List; lead service connections replaced; compliance with microbiological indicators for drinking water; and the numbers of customers on boil water notices and the duration of boil water notices.
The WAB notes with concern that 55 supplies serving 455,097 consumers, which represents an increase of 11,282 consumers from Quarter 2 2021 were on the Remedial Action List. While Irish Water expects to exceed its 2021 target for replacement of lead connections, the WAB notes that it is highly unlikely that Irish Water will be able meet its targets to replace all lead services by 2026.
It is positive that compliance with the microbiological standards in drinking water remains high. There was increase in the number of people on a boil water notice at the end of Quarter 3 2021. Unfortunately, the trends for long term boil water notices and the duration of boil water notices are not improving and a lot more needs to be done to address these issues.
The WAB welcomed the introduction of the Non-Domestic Tariff Framework (NDTF) for Irish Water’s non-domestic customers, which went live on 1 October 2021. It introduces harmonised water charges for businesses across the country. It provides clear, transparent, cost-reflective and equitable charging arrangements for all businesses regardless of location.
