Private wells will not be hit by water charges ifa assured
The announcement that that households with private wells will not pay additional charges for their water has been welcomed by the IFA. This clear commitment was given to the IFA at a recent meeting with the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER).
While welcoming this commitment, Rural Affairs chairman Thomas Cooney has also called on the CER and Irish Water to reduce the cost that farm families pay for water that is supplied from a public source.
Following IFA representations, the CER has also agreed to reconsider the proposal to issue farmers with two water bills – one from Irish Water for household water and a second from the local authority for water used on the farm. Thomas Cooney said the current billing proposal represents wasteful inefficiency, which would add additional costs for water users.
The IFA has also highlighted to CER the need to end wasteful duplication of water charges inspections by public bodies and the need to establish a compensation package in cases where farm land is sterilised to accommodate water abstraction for public use.