Northern Ireland Water facts for kids
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| Public utility | |
| Industry | Water industry |
| Founded | 1 April 2007 |
| Headquarters | Westland House, 40 Old Westland Road, Belfast |
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Key people
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Sara Venning (Chief Executive) |
Northern Ireland Water Limited, often called NI Water, is the main company that provides water services in Northern Ireland. It makes sure almost 1.8 million people have clean water every day. It also treats wastewater before it goes back into the environment.
NI Water is owned by the government. It became a government-owned company on April 1, 2007. The company is part of the Department for Infrastructure (DfI). It provides about 575 million litres of clean water daily. It also treats around 340 million litres of wastewater each day. About 1,300 people work for NI Water. The company manages 27,000 kilometres of water pipes. It also looks after 16,000 kilometres of sewer pipes. NI Water has 23 water treatment plants. It also has 1,030 wastewater treatment plants.
Contents
History of Water Services
Before 1973, local councils were in charge of water and sewer services. This was true for most of Northern Ireland. In Belfast, a special group called the Belfast City and District Water Commissioners handled these services. In 1974, the government took over. The Department of the Environment (DoE) became responsible. A new group, the Water Executive, managed these services.
In 1989, water companies in England and Wales became private. But in Northern Ireland, these services stayed public. In 1996, the Water Executive changed its name. It became the Northern Ireland Water Service. In 1999, the Department for Regional Development (DRD) took over.
For many years, people thought water services were free in Northern Ireland. Before 1974, people paid for water. This was part of their house taxes. After 1974, water costs were included in the general house tax. Only businesses received separate water bills. In 2002, the government said water services needed to pay for themselves. There were talks about adding water meters to new homes. They also considered charging all homes for water and sewers.
In 2004, it was announced that a state-owned company would be created. This company, Northern Ireland Water Limited, started in April 2007. Plans were made to introduce water charges. However, many people protested against these charges in 2007. Because of these protests, the plans for water charges were stopped.
Around 2007, a system was set up to check NI Water's performance. This was similar to how water companies are checked in England and Wales. The Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation took on this role. They compared NI Water to companies in England and Wales. They found some differences in water quality and customer service. NI Water has worked hard to improve. By 2017, the company had greatly improved its wastewater treatment. Water quality also remained very high.
How NI Water is Organized
NI Water is a government-owned company (GoCo). This means the central government owns it. But it operates like a normal company. It follows rules set out in the Companies Act 2006. It also follows good management practices. This helps make sure the company is run well.
Important Reservoirs and Treatment Plants
NI Water gets water from many places. It also has plants to clean the water. Some of these important places include:
- Silent Valley Reservoir
- Lough Neagh
- Ben Crom Reservoir
- Spelga Dam and Reservoir
- Dunore Point
- Drumaroad Water Treatment Works, which was built as part of the Aquarius Mourne Water Project
See also
