A total of €145 million has been allocated for upgrading rural water supplies to benefit 45,000 households.
Minister for the Environment Dick Roche said the money would bring Ireland close to eradicating the problem of group schemes, which often draw water from contaminated supplies.
He said the construction of 70 new water treatment and disinfection plants would be completed by the end of the year. Planning for a further 77 would go forward; work is due to begin on around half of them this year, Mr Roche said.
"The turning point has been reached in our campaign to rid rural Ireland of sub-standard group water schemes . . . [I am] confident that we have broken the back of the problem," the Minister said.
Speaking today at the announcement of the 2006 Rural Water Programme,
Mr Roche said the 2006 allocations would provide the money to work towards full compliance with EU drinking water standards.
A total of €133 million has been earmarked for this year to improve the supply for 19,000 rural households by the end of the year.
A further 4,000 homes will benefit from 93 group schemes being implemented by county councils, while 42 group schemes, serving up to 6,000 houses, will receive new connections from local authority supplies.
Mr Roche said the measures would upgrade supply to almost all the rural homes identified in the last census as having a connection to a group scheme.
Maintaining the quality of water supply should not be forgotten he said, adding that the controversial Nitrates Directive would have "an important role".
He also allocated €4 million this year to pilot test new wastewater collection and treatment systems in seven Co Tipperary villages.
Rural Water Programme 2006 - county-by-county Allocation
Carlow- €3,185,000
Cavan- €7,850,000
Clare- €9,095,000
Cork North- €1,350,000
Cork South- €2,037,000
Cork West- €1,860,000
Donegal- €4,290,000
Galway- €19,233,000
Kerry- €3,135,000
Kildare- €2,327,000
Kilkenny- €2,701,000
Laois- €3,483,000
Leitrim- €3,900,000
Limerick- €11,650,000
Longford- €2,570,000
Louth- €914,000
Mayo- €17,650,000
Meath- €1,604,000
Monaghan- €2,894,000
North Tipperary- €6,300,000
Offaly- €1,982,000
Roscommon- €4,850,000
Sligo- €5,250,000
South Tipperary- €1,340,000
Waterford- €1,090,000
Westmeath- €1,400,000
Wexford- €3,561,000
Wicklow- €5,499,000
Total:- €133,000,000