Group water schemes

Uisce Éireann provides water and wastewater services to customers through the public water and sewerage schemes.

We're responsible for the development, maintenance and operation of water and wastewater plants and the associated pipe networks.

What are Group Water Schemes?

Group Water Schemes are privately owned and operated schemes. The Group Water Schemes’ Programme was introduced in 1962 to provide capital grant aid to rural dwellers for the construction of water distribution systems to pipe water from local water sources such as lakes or boreholes into their homes and farms.

Communities set up voluntary co-operative structures known as Group Water Schemes to privately manage these water distribution systems with current operating costs being funded through contributions from Group Scheme members and Central Government subsidies.

Types of scheme

There are two categories of Group Water Schemes in Ireland.

Private Group Water Schemes

They abstract, treat and distribute their own water supply from a private source such as a lake, river, well or spring. Please note that Uisce Éireann does not have any responsibility for Private Group Water Schemes

Public Group Water Schemes

They obtain water by a connection to a public water supply and distribute this water through a local distribution network owned and operated by the Group.

Group schemes are responsible for the provision of supplies to their customers and the maintenance of their networks irrespective of whether supplies are privately or publicly sourced.

Public Group Water Schemes Charging Arrangements

Public Group Water Schemes obtain water by a connection to a public water supply and distribute this water through a local distribution network owned and operated by the Group. There are also a small number of public Group Sewerage Schemes that are connected to, and discharge wastewater to, Uisce Éireann’s public wastewater network. Up to the 30th September 2022 Uisce Éireann will continue to charge public Group Water Schemes at the rates applied by Local Authorities. These charges differ in each Local Authority, and have not been changed since Uisce Éireann took responsibility for water services. Following  a decision on new charging arrangements by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities for public Group Water Schemes new charges will apply from the 1st Oct 2022. The new charging arrangements also apply to public Group Sewerage Schemes. For details on the new charges see Business Charges.

For more information on the CRU’s decision on Charging Arrangements for public Group Water Schemes, visit www.cru.ie.