Infrastructure Minister has welcomed Executive
approval to bring forward updated legislation for water,
sustainable drainage and flood management.
The Water, Sustainable Drainage and Flood Management Bill will
improve processes for NI Water and allow for new ways to reduce
and mitigate flood risk. It will strengthen resilience during
extreme weather events such as drought and help facilitate more
environmentally friendly solutions to managing water.
Minister Kimmins said: “In recent years we have seen
warmer summers, milder winters and more frequent storms, all of
this is a result of climate change. It is important that we have
plans in place to better manage those periods of water shortages
and high demand for treated water, and to enable improved flood
management through sustainable drainage systems.
“This Bill will provide NI Water with a power to
implement further hosepipe restrictions to help conserve water in
times of high demand or drought. It will also enable my
Department to continue the Homeowner Flood Protection Grant
Scheme, which will help eligible homeowners to modify their
properties to make them more resilient to
flooding.
“The Bill will further allow my Department to issue
future guidance on the design, maintenance, and adoption of
Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) – an important first step in
moving towards more sustainable practices to help slow the flow
of water entering our sewers during times of heavy rainfall and
reduce out-of-sewer flooding. This will help to improve the water
quality of our rivers and loughs, enhance the performance of our
sewerage systems, and provide electricity cost saving
opportunities for pumping and treating wastewater.”
The Minister concluded: “This legislation is a major step
forward in helping us meet the challenges in how we manage, use
and treat our water resources, future-proof the system, and get
on a path to recovery from years of historic underinvestment. It
forms an integral part of my three-pronged approach to deliver a
better water and wastewater infrastructure to meet the needs of
our growing population and adapt to changing weather
patterns.”
The Water, Sustainable Drainage and Flood Management Bill will be
introduced to the Assembly as soon as possible.
Notes to editors:
Principal recommendations
- Expanded hosepipe ban powers for NI Water beyond watering
private gardens and washing private cars;
- Powers for the Department to issue future guidance on the
design, approval, and maintenance of SuDS to encourage their use
as the preferred means of dealing with surface water;
- Powers for NI Water to adopt private drainage infrastructure
(PDI) constructed prior to 1st October 1973;
- Powers for NI Water to enter private premises to repair
drainage misconnections and recover the costs from the landowner,
in instances where the landowner refuses entry and also refuses
to fix the misconnection themselves;
- Powers for NI Water to register Article 161 Agreements on the
Statutory Charges Register;
- Powers for the Department to introduce flood protection
grants similar to the those available under the current Homeowner
Flood Protection Grant Scheme (HFPGS);
- Powers for the Department to make certain regulations on
Flood Management and Environmental Impact Assessments for
drainage purposes.
