Water scheme trustees ‘not willing to be tax collectors’

There have been warnings of a crisis in group water schemes because it is claimed trustees of such schemes will be unwilling “to act as tax collectors’’ when Irish Water introduces charges in 2014.

Up to 1,000 group schemes provide water supplies to rural communities, mainly in counties along the western seaboard, and there is confusion and uncertainty about the new charges.

It is expected there will be a block charge on each scheme, to be made up of the sum of charges collected from individual members of schemes by locally based, voluntary administrators

Group schemes supplied from county council mains will be liable for Irish Water charges, but schemes supplied from private sources, such as bored wells, will not be subject to charges.

Kerry has 313 group schemes, of which 170 are supplied from council mains, and the charges issue was highlighted at this week’s county council meeting in Dingle.

Cllr Paul O’Donoghue (FF) claimed schemes would fall into crisis because people won’t go out “to collect tax for the Government’’.

Hitting out at uncertainly regarding charges to group schemes, Cllr Brendan Cronin (Ind) also said people would not go around collecting charges from their neighbours.

‘’It’s one thing to collect a connection fee but a different matter altogether to go around collecting charges for Irish Water. People aren’t going to do it,’’ he stated.

The council’s director of environmental services, Oliver Ring, said the situation regarding group schemes was as yet unclear as legislation is going through the Oireachtas.

He said he understands that Irish Water would have to bill the schemes’ trustees. Many issues need to be sorted out, but he said he was confident a reasonable, rational solution could be found.

Brian McDonald, for the National Federation of Group Water Schemes, said a template was already in place for the collection of charges by schemes and they expected a bulk metering system to be introduced when Irish Water takes over. There would be an equitable charge on individual group members based on their metered usage of water, he added.

Mr McDonald said there should be a monitoring system at the point of delivery to ensure quality and sufficiency of supply, and said schemes should have greater capacity to manage water in networks.

Irish Water spokesman Conor Keane said the situation was still unclear and legislation was awaited.

He said the Commission for Energy Regulation would have the final say on any charges to be levied, including group scheme charges.

Kerry County Council is to take up the issue with Environment Minister Phil Hogan.

While Irish Water will take over responsibility for all aspects of the public water supply and waste water systems from Jan 1, local authorities will continue to monitor group schemes in relation to their compliance with drinking water regulations.