No payouts to households under lead pipe replacement

No money has been paid out by the Department of the Environment in grants for households to replace lead pipes on their properties, since the scheme was announced one year ago.

In June 2015 then minister for the environment Alan Kelly announced a national strategy to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water. Among the measures announced was a grant scheme to assist "low-income" households with the costs of replacing lead pipes.

Households with income of up to €50,000 were eligible to apply for a grant of 80 per cent of costs or up to €4,000, while those with an income between €50,000 and €75,000 were entitled to receive a grant of €2,500 or 50 per cent of the cost.

Almost 180,000 homes built before 1980 are believed to have lead pipes in their plumbing. Irish Water plans to spend €370 million over the next 10 years replacing lead pipes routed to these properties, but householders are responsible for lead pipes in their homes.

Homeowners can apply for the grant to their local authority, which then recoups the money from the department. Local authorities have been able to seek reimbursement since last February. “To date no local authority has sought recoupment from the department,” said a departmental spokesman.

Applications

While there may be a time lag between applications made and reimbursement sought, neither Dublin nor Limerick city councils – the two local authorities where most of the households with lead pipes are located – have received any applications from householders.

“Limerick City and County Council has had fewer than 10 enquiries about the Lead Pipe Replacement Grant Scheme so far and there have been no applications received to date” said a spokesman. He added that the council was making homeowners with lead pipes aware of the grant and encouraging them to make applications.

A spokesman for Dublin City Council said: “So far there have not been any grants paid out for lead pipe replacement.”

Tests on drinking water in Dublin homes up to December 2014 showed lead levels far in excess of legal limits, with one house in Raheny, producing a reading more than 80 times the maximum "safe" limit.

While pipe replacement is the best solution to remove lead, Irish Water plans to introduce a chemical called orthophosphate into the system to lessen the amount of lead in water supplies. Limerick is likely to be the first water supply to receive the treatment from October this year.