State utility Irish Water have revealed this morning that they plan to spend in the region of €370 million over the next decade replacing lead pipes in areas across the country.
The company also say they fully intend on spending a further €78 million on water treatments to stop lead contamination. The welcome news comes as the utility plans to unveil a draft Lead in Water Mitigation Plan, which will be available for public consultation until September 21st.
Irish Water are also homeowners of houses built before 1980 to check internal plumbing for lead pipes. It is understood around 180,000 homes are served by lead pipes.
The complete revamp of water infrastructure comes as current piping does not meet EU standards. It is thought large Consumption of lead can affect brain development, with young children, bottlefed infants and babies in the womb.