South Dublin County Council receives some 70ML/day of treated water from Dublin City Council's water treatment facility at Balymore Eustace and approximately 3ML/day from Fingal County Council's water treatment plant at Leixlip. This water is distributed throughout the County via some 1,400km of watermains and our 3 main storage reservoirs at Belgard, Peamount and Saggart. The water is distributed to over 84,000 households and over 5,400 metered commercial customers. South Dublin has 1 No. public water supply from a borehole in Brittas which supplies approximately 120m/3 per day.

The quality of water is monitored and analysed regularlyand complies with all the requirements of the European Communities (Drinking Water) (No. 2) Regulations 2007. 3,979 tests were carried out on the water in 2008 and 99.2% of samples were in compliance, which is above the national average as reported by the EPA.

During 2008 the Water Section replaced over 1km of water mains, repaired 153 No. burst mains and carried out maintenance or replacement of 165 No. fire hydrants, 123 No. sluice valves and 367 No. services. We also completed the metering project which has replaced nearly all commercial meters with automatic meter reading equipment and completed installation of 33 No. pressure reducing valves in the County.

The Water Maintenance Section provides a key support to developers, other Council Departments and outside agencies through the implementation of the Council's Water Mains Specification 2008, the Council's Water Bye-Laws 2004 and the Water Services Act 2007.

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions

Water connection applications

An on-line facility will be available for water connection applications from 1st September 2006. All applications should be made at www.roadmap.ie from this date although telephone applications will be taken from applicants without Internet access. This facility will permit the applicant to track the application and resolve issues at an early stage should they arise. Click here for an information sheet. More information is also available from the Water and Drainage Section at (01) 414 9000.

Water Specification and Bye-laws

The SDCC Water Section Specification for the Laying of Water Mains and Drinking Water sets out the standards for development works involving or affecting water mains. Full compliance with the standards and specifications contained therein must be demonstrated prior to any application for connection to the water supply.

South Dublin County Council has prepared bye-laws for the management of water services and the conservation of drinking water . These bye-laws or regulations came into force on 15 December 2005 and set out a variety of requirements with respect to consumers’ use of water.

Standpipe Licence

South Dublin County Council Water Bye-laws 2004, Section 4.1.8, stipulates that ‘a standpipe licence shall be obtained from the Council prior to access, use or draw-off from a fire hydrant. Any person requiring a licence shall complete the appropriate application form and pay to the Council the licence fee of such amount as the Council considers reasonable and comply with the conditions specified in the licence’. Click here for more information and application form.

Holders of standpipe licences and vehicle operators must at all times prevent the wastage of water. It is the policy of the Council to take action where the unauthorised taking or wastage of water occurs.

On 12th June 2007 the European Communities (Drinking Water) (No. 2) Regulations 2007, (S.I. No. 278 of 2007)came into operation as the primary legislation covering drinking water in Ireland. These regulations prescribe quality standards to be applied, and related supervision and enforcement procdures in relation to supplies of drinking water, including requirements as to sampling frequency, methods of analysis, the provisionof information to consumers and related matters. The Regulations update and replace the European Communities (Drinking Water) Regulations of 200 (S.I. No. 439 of 2000), and the European Communities (Drinking Water) Regulations of 2007 (S.I.) No. 106 of 2007).

It is the duty of a sanitary authority to take the necessary measures to ensure that water intended for human consumption is wholesome and clean and meets the requirements of these Regulations.

County and City Councils are required by the European Communities (Drinking Water) (No.2) Regulations 2007 to provide owners and users of unregulated private water supplies with information about the risks of contamination and advice about what they can do to protect their supplies and keep them safe. A leaflet is available to provide this information. Please click here.

The Drinking Water Supply does not contain lead when it leaves the water treatment plants and there are no lead watermains in the water supply network in South Dublin.  However houses built before the mid 1960’s may have lead service pipes connecting them to the watermains in the street.  If lead is present in your drinking water it will have been dissolved from any such lead service pipe or fittings between the watermain and your tap.  For guidance on what you should do if you are concerned about possible lead in your drinking water please see this guidance document.

A sanitary authority must take all measures necessary to ensure that regular monitoring is carried out at the points of compliance in relation to the quality of water intended for human consumption. This testing shall cover Microbiological, Chemical and Indicator Parameters. Forty-eight parameters are listed and limits are prescribed which must be complied with.

South Dublin County Council as the sanitary authority for South Dublin County has commissioned an independent accredited testing laboratory to sample and test the water supplied for compliance with the Regulations.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the regulatory body charged with monitoring and reporting on compliance levels on matters of water quality in Ireland. T he most recent Quality of Drinking Water in Ireland report is available on the EPA website.

The results of this sampling and testing are as follows:-

Results for January to December 2005:
Total number of tests performed: 3440
Total number of non-compliant results: 31
Overall Percentage Compliance: 99.1%

Results for January to December 2006
Total number of tests performed: 3927
Total number of non-compliant results: 32
Overall Percentage Compliance: 99.2%

Results for January to December 2007
Total number of tests performed: 3760
Total number of non-compliant results: 32
Overall Percentage Compliance: 99.1%

Results for January to December 2008
Total number of tests performed: 3979
Total number of non-compliant results: 31
Overall Percentage Compliance: 99.2%

Results for January to December 2009
Total number of tests performed: 4151
Total number of non-compliant results: 20
Overall Percentage Compliance: 99.5%

2010 Drinking Water Results of Sampling and testing

Results for January 2010
Total number of tests performed: 352
Total number of non-compliant results: 1
Overall Percentage Compliance: 99.7%

January 2010: 1 no. non-compliant result details:
1.            Parameter exceeded: Iron
               Date of Sample: 21/01/2010
               Location: Walkinstown

Results for February 2010
Total number of tests performed: 427
Total number of non-compliant results: 1
Overall Percentage Compliance: 99.8%

February 2010: 1 no. non-compliant result details:
1.           Parameter exceeded: C. Perfringens
              Date of Sample: 23/02/2010
              Location: Saggart

Results for March 2010
Total number of tests performed: 234
Total number of non-compliant results: 0
Overall Percentage Compliance: 100%

Results for April 2010
Total number of tests performed: 520
Total number of non-compliant results: 0
Overall Percentage Compliance: 100%

Results for May 2010
Total number of tests performed: 306
Total number of non-compliant results: 2
Overall Percentage Compliance: 99.3%

May 2010 Details of non-compliant results:
1.         Parameter exceeded: Total Coliforms
            Date of Sample: 5/5/2010
            Location: Greenpark, Clondalkin

2.          Parameter exceeded: Total Coliforms
            Date of Sample: 17/5/2010
            Location: Hillcrest, Lucan

Results for June 2010
Total number of tests performed: 266
Total number of non-compliant results: 1
Overall Percentage Compliance: 99.6%

June 2010 Details of non-compliant results:
1.         Parameter exceeded: Total Coliforms
            Date of Sample: 16/6/2010
            Location: Crannagh, Rathfarnham

Results for July 2010
Total number of non-compliant results: 0
Total number of tests performed: 210
Overall Percentage Compliance: 100%

Water Hardness
Hardness enquiries usually relate to installation of new dishwashers. As mentioned previously, South Dublin County Council is not a water producer and receives treated water from Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council via water treatment plants at Ballymore Eustace and Leixlip, Co. Kildare. The following figures give total hardness as Calcium Carbonate:

Ballymore Eustace/Ballyboden/Roundwood/Stillorgan
mg/L CaCO3 = 50
eH (Clarke or English Degrees) = 3.5
dH (German Degrees) = 2.8
fH (French Degrees) = 5
Mmol CaCO3 = 0.5
American Hardness Degrees (ppm) = 50

Leixlip (North City & County)
mg/L CaCO3 = 150 - 300
eH (Clarke or English Degrees) = 10.5 - 21.9
dH (German Degrees) = 8.4 - 16.8
fH (French Degrees) = 15 - 30
Mmol CaCO3 = 1.5 - 3.0
American Hardness Degrees (ppm) = 150 - 300

Contacts:
1. Emergencies: Manned switchboard: 08.00H to 24.00H. Ph (01) 4574907
2. Pageboy service: 0.00H to 08.00H. Ph (01) 4901884
3. Deansrath Maintenance Depot: Ph (01) 4138500
4. Environmental Services Department,
Water and Drainage Section,
County Hall,
Tallaght,
Dublin 24.
Phone (01) 414 9000