COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, June 09, 2025

QUESTION NO. 24

QUESTION: Councillor F. Timmons

To ask the Chief Executive to outline clearly what is South Dublin County Council's role in water services and is there any services that SDCC are in charge off?

REPLY:

Uisce Eireann have full responsibility for the management of the public drinking water network and the public wastewater network (foul drainage).

SDCC remain responsible for the management of the stormwater / surface water network and the waterbodies within the County’s River Catchments. The stormwater network collects rainwater from urban and developed areas (such as roofs, roads, carparks, gullies, etc) and conveys it to a discharge point in a river, stream or ditch, sometimes storing it along the way.  The Council is required to maintain the storm water network in a manner to minimise the potential occurrence of incidents of flooding and or pollution. Flooding or pollution from the stormwater network can pose a safety risk for the public and pollution incidents from the stormwater network can directly impact on water quality in South Dublin’s water bodies.

Due to the nature of the wastewater network and the stormwater network, which is sometimes combined, SDCC will continue to work with Uisce Eireann on a range of items.

To consolidate the water related services that SDCC undertake, and to allow for the remit of some tasks to now be strengthened, a Natural Water Department is being established which comprises of a new Natural Water Operations sections and brings existing sections such as Water Pollution, Water Capital Projects and Planning, and flood alleviation schemes all under the one umbrella.  The objectives of this department can be summarised under two categories - managing flood risk and managing water quality.  It is important to also note, that the Natural Water Team has a role to play in climate adaptation and undertakes work that supports a number of actions under the area of ‘Flood Resilience’ in SDCC’s Statutory Climate Action Plan 2024 – 2029.

The following non exhaustive list summarises some of the key services within the remit of the Natural Water Team, along with the associated management, reporting, financial, health and safety and administrative related tasks:

Operate and maintain SDCC’s stormwater network and assets

The current stormwater network in South Dublin comprises of approximately 900km of pipe network, ranging in diameter from 150mm to 2400mm, roughly 20,000 manholes and covers, stormwater pumping station, attenuation tanks/stormtech systems, hydrobrake manholes, petrol interceptors, and telemetry / monitoring assets, etc. Works include:

• Ongoing maintenance of the network and assets, with a focus on network cleaning / jetting / desilting to maintain existing network capacity.
• Progress the minor works programme to address flood risk or upgrade or repair network issues.
• Manage new stormwater connections.
• Provide a response to flood events.
• Ensure data management, including mapping of assets, and provision of network information to external bodies.

Maintenance of Surface Water and Open channels to mange flood risk, including:

• River and stream inspections and maintenance to manage flood risk.
• Regular maintenance of River Screens / trash screens / debris traps / valves / flow control structures.

Provide Water Quality / Water Pollution Services to South Dublin, including:

• Respond to water pollution incidents (investigation, clean up, and prosecution where appropriate)
• Water quality monitoring though an ongoing statutory water quality sampling programme and reporting to the EPA.
• Delivery of SDCC’s RMCEI Plan for Water.
• Catchment assessments to identify local water quality pressures and coordinate an inspection programme to ensure the adoption of the right measure in the right place
• Agricultural inspections as set out by the National Agricultural Inspection Programme (NAIP) and to resolve complaints. This also incorporates compliance investigations, Cross reporting to the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) and enforcement actions. 
• Delivery of a programme of measures as required by the Water Action Plan 2024 (and subsequent iterations), such as addressing urban misconnections.
• Contribute to SDCC's regulatory enforcement regarding water quality statutory inspections for Discharge licenses, Domestic Wastewater Treatment Systems (including septic tanks and farms).
• Drinking Water monitoring - private drinking water non domestic supplies.
• S4 Discharge licences and unauthorised discharges.
• Public engagement and awareness raising.
• Assist and collaborate with both internal stakeholders (Parks, Roads and Planning Department) and external stakeholders (Inland Fisheries Ireland, Uisce Eireann, Local Authorities Waters Programme (LAWPRO), OPW, NPWS, DAFM, DHLGH)

 Flood Management, including

• Monitoring of flood risk
• Coordination with Flood Forecasting (Met Eireann), as Flood Liaison Manager
• Ensuring maintenance of flood defences and infrastructure that impacts flood issues
• Coordinate response to flood events
• Data Management, including FRAs. Flood records, mappings of flood defences, etc.
• Identification of flood schemes

 Delivery of Capital Projects, such as:

• Schemes to address network issues or flooding issues.
• Network capacity assessments or feasibility studies
• Liaison with the OPW on potential flood alleviation schemes (FAS)
• Progress SDCC's current schemes, including the River Poddle FAS, Whitechurch Stream FAS, and the River Camac FAS.

 Planning Process Support, including:

• Review of Planning Applications and delivery of stormwater drainage and flooding planning observation reports and ensure alignment with SDCC’s SuDS Explanatory Design Evaluation Guide.
• Support the delivery of LRDs and SDZs with review of stormwater drainage, SuDs and flooding planning reports.

Promote and Manage Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and Integrated Constructed Wetlands in South Dublin, including:

• Ensure that SDCC's SuDS Explanatory Design Evaluation Guide and SuDS Details are kept up to date.
• Data management (SuDS Asset Register, mapping and O&M information)
• Promote and monitor the use of SuDS in SDCC projects, including ensuring maintenance is undertaken.
• Monitor and maintain SDCCs Integrated Constructed Wetlands (e.g. in Griffeen, Dodder Valley and Tymon Park
• Public engagement and awareness events (e.g. ICW tours, ICW Builder Tool and ICW Information leaflet).

The work of the Natural Water Department as outlined above, meets a number of obligations, including, but not limited to:

• The Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts, 1977 and 1990, set out that local authorities are responsible for monitoring, managing, and protecting the water quality in their area.
• The Local Authorities are one of the key authorities responsible for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in Ireland – which includes preventing water pollution and also improving water quality across the county.
• The Water Action Plan 2024: A River Basin Management Plan for Ireland sets out the measures that are necessary to protect and restore water quality in Ireland. SDCC, in conjunction with LAWPRO aim to develop work plans to address the objectives of the Plan.
• In addition to the RMCEI Requirements, the EPA’s Local Authority Performance Framework assesses local authority delivery of environmental outcomes against the National Enforcement Priorities 2025 – 2027. The priorities under ‘Water’ include:
  • Pressures from Agriculture (farmyards) slurry / soiled water collection and storage
  • Pressures from Agriculture (farmyards) slurry and fertiliser spreading
  • Discharge licences / misconnections
  • Local water quality pressures including septic tanks and private water supplies
• SDCC’s Statutory Climate Action Plan 2024-2029 sets out actions under the Action Area of Flood Resilience, which fall within the remit of the Natural Water Operations Dept.
• SDCC’s Biodiversity Action Plan outlines the actions for nature protection, adaptation and biodiversity, which include incorporating aquatic habitats and green infrastructure