Ireland

The Republic of Ireland is a country in Northwestern Europe, situated on the third largest island in Europe. It shares the territory of the island with Northern Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom. The Republic of Ireland, however, covers almost 85% of the island.

The Republic of Ireland is divided into four provinces and 26 counties. Considering that large urban areas such as Dublin, Galway, and Cork contain few local government areas, the country’s administrative system is actually composed of 31 local authorities – 26 county councils, two city and county councils, and three city councils.

Source: World Bank Data Ireland

Water and Wastewater Sector Structure

Established in 2013, Irish Water is the national water utility, providing water and wastewater services to all 31 local authorities together under one national service provider. Eighty-two percent of people in Ireland are serviced with drinking water from Irish Water, and about two-thirds of households with wastewater services. Irish Water is responsible for the management of water and wastewater assets, maintenance of water and wastewater systems, investment and planning, management of capital projects, and customer care.

As of 2022 Irish Water was not charging water and wastewater tariffs to domestic customers. The plan is, however, to start charging an excess water use after an annual household allowance of 213 m³ is consumed. Customers are expected to be charged starting in the third quarter of 2022 at the earliest, and in certain circumstances, yet to be determined. Over the last several decades, water charges have been an ongoing debate in political life in Ireland and have been subject to protests and pushback.