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Types of water supply

Public Water Supply


The drinking waters produced and distributed by Local Authorities or its agents are termed Public Water Supplies. These supplies are identified as Supply Zones , allowing for different sources and mixes of sources. In North Tipperary there are 32 Supply Zones. This includes supplies serving the Town Council areas. Daily water production for public supplies is circa 21,000 m3 per day.

The European Communities (Drinking Water) (No 2) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 278 0f 2007) established the Environmental Protection Agency as the Supervisory Authority over Water Service Authorities (Local Authorities). This assigns a range of executive powers to the Agency.

Group Water Supplies


Community groups also may produce drinking water. These schemes are called Group Water Supply Schemes. These schemes are operated and managed by the Group. A Group can consist of as few as 2 residences. There are 73 such groups in this county, receiving subsidies from the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. North Tipperary County Council provides technical and administrative advice to these groups and administers the grants and subsidy schemes on behalf of the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
Group Water Supply Schemes can be subdivided into two types:
1. Where the water is produced by local authority and sold in bulk to the Group Scheme who manage the network . These are called Public Group Water Supply Schemes. There is one such schemes in this county.
2. Where the water is fully produced and distributed by the Group. These schemes are called Private Group Water Supply Schemes.


The European Communities (Drinking Water) (No 2) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 278 0f 2007) established the Water Service Authorities as the Supervisory Authority over Group Water Supply Schemes. This assigns a range of executive powers to the Water Service Authorities.


Private Water Supplies


Individual premises or residences sometimes have their own drinking water source. It is the responsibility of the water supplier to ensure that the water quality meets the required standards.

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