Group Water Schemes
Approximately 6% of the Irish population get their drinking water from Group Water Schemes (Community run schemes). Group Water Schemes can be broken into private schemes, which have a privately sourced water supply, and semi-private schemes which rely on Irish Water for their water supply.
For subsidy purpose a Group Water Scheme is defined as “A scheme providing a private supply of water to two or more houses by means of a common or shared source of supply and distribution”
The Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage provides funding for Group Water Schemes which is administered by Wexford County Council. An annual subsidy per house is available to group schemes for the operational cost of providing domestic water:
- up to €115 per house supplied from a public (Irish Water) source
- up to €231 per house supplied from a private source (well, lake, borehole)
- the cost per house where water disinfection and/or treatment is provided under a Design Build Operate (DBO) contract
- up to €100 per house for schemes of less than 100 houses, that agree to advance to and progress an amalgamation and/or rationalisation strategy involving their merger into a new entity.
The Department of Housing, Planning, Local Government and Heritage has announced the launch of the Framework for the new cycle of the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme 2024-2026.
For further information please see links below to the Circular and Framework.
For further information on group water scheme subsidies please see terms & conditions here
County Liaison Officer
For queries about group scheme grants contact the County Liaison Officer on 053 919 6343.