REVEALED: Tipperary to receive over €500,000 in funding for rural water projects

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD, has announced a third round of funding under the multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2024-2026.

The funding provides much needed capital investment to improve water services in rural areas.

Tipperary will receive over half a million euro in funding to carry out a number of rural water projects across the county.

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The funding will be made available primarily to Group Water Schemes to support areas such as water source protection, compliance with water quality standards, leakage reduction and expanding the coverage of piped water supplies from the public (Uisce Éireann) network. 

Announcing the investment, Minister Browne said:

“Safe and reliable drinking water is critically important and access to it enhances the quality of life for people living in rural Ireland. This is critically important to local economies and to sustainability in these rural communities. The 291 projects receiving this funding will play a big part in providing robust water supplies throughout rural Ireland.

The Government is working hard to fund improvements to water services across the country, including services to rural areas that do not have access to Uisce Éireann services. This announcement today is very much part of that commitment and will support rural communities to thrive as places to live and work.”

As part of the application process for this funding, local authorities were asked to work with group water schemes and their representative body the National Federation of Group Water Schemes.

Following the completion of an assessment process which included a critical evaluation by an independent Expert Panel of the applications received, the Minister has approved funding of almost €74 million for 291 individual capital projects across the country.

Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity Christopher O’Sullivan TD said:

“Having safe and secure water is fundamental to rural communities’ quality of life and as places to live, visit and establish business in.  This funding will help to improve water quality compliance, decrease leakage and expand the coverage of access to piped water from the public network for rural communities. The work to be undertaken by the 291 projects announced today will make a real difference to these parts of rural Ireland.”

The funding announced today is in addition to previous support, including: 

• Over €45 million for seven individual projects for waste water collection and treatment needs for villages and settlements without access to public waste water services announced in December 2023; and
• Over €47 million for 256 projects announced under the multi-annual programme in November 2024.

The funding being provided to the Rural Water Sector today is a strong example of the Government’s ongoing investment and commitment to the future social, environmental and economic development of rural Ireland and to investing in water infrastructure.

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