New regulations for the licensing and policing of sewage treatment facilities have been introduced to control discharges allowed from plants.
The regulations mean that local authorities seeking a licence for waste water discharges from their sewage works must apply to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which will police the regime.
The EPA will set emission limits for pollutants, and failure by a local authority to comply will be deemed an offence.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley said today that the regulations will form part of an overall strategy to protect the environment and improve the quality of life.
Earlier this morning, the EPA published a report that found that 57 per cent of groundwater sampling sites in Ireland contained faecal coliforms - bacteria indicating the presence of human and animal waste.
It also found that while water quality in rivers and lakes improved slightly on the previous two years, the rate of improvement was not fast enough to meet the Water Framework Directive by the target year 2015.
Nitrate regulations and proper inspection and enforcement of the regulations would "ensure improvements in water quality in the coming years" Mr Gormley added.