Individual Well Water Grants
More than 11% of Irish households still use private wells for their home water supply. Unlike public water supplies, these private wells do not get checked by water testing authorities which questions the quality of water in your private well.
If you do not have access to public water or group water scheme, the Well Grant Scheme is just for you. Grants are available under the Rural Water Programme for the carrying out of improvement works to a private water supply (this means a water supply providing water intended for human consumption and domestic purposes that serves only one house).
The objective of the scheme is to provide assistance to households who are dependent on private individual well supplies and incurring capital expenditure.
New Grant Categories
- Provision of a new well – Grant aid of 85% of the costs, subject to a maximum of €5,000
- Rehabilitation works – Grant aid of 85% of the costs, subject to a maximum of €3,000
- Water Treatment (UV, Filtration) – Grant of 100% of the costs, subject to a maximum of €1,000
What Kind of Work Qualifies for Well Grant?
- Drilling of a new well
- Provision of essential pumping
- Water filtration/disinfection equipment (excluding water softeners)
- Rehabilitating an existing well, including deepening or relining an existing bore or the removal of silt
- Providing or upgrading a supply of water from a surface water source
- Provision or improvement of mechanical or electrical equipment or facilities in connection with the supply of water
Are you eligible?
- You are not connected to a public water supply or cannot be reasonably served by a public or group water supply scheme source.
- The house is not located in an area that is or is about to be, served by Irish Water or a Group Water Scheme.
- Your house must be over 7 years old.
- You have not received a grant within the last 7 years.
- The cost of the approved works must be over €750
How to Apply?
A detailed water test needs to be taken before and after any work is completed to ensure the proper water treatment system is installed. A prior inspection of the work needs to be carried out as well as the issuing of a certificate of approval before any work can commence.
No matter what county you’re based in, getting a water grant can be a tricky and often lengthy process. To prevent you from the hassle, our experts will walk you through the entire process, provide you with a quotation and streamline everything for you.
Celtic Water Solutions is a specialist in well water treatment. Over the years, we have helped homeowners to improve their well water quality while successfully availing of local authority well grants. We can carry out detailed water tests and provide assistance in filling out the well grant application forms, and go through each step to ensure the householder understands the process.
If you are looking to improve the water quality from your well, fill out this short form and one of our water treatment experts will be in touch with you to discuss your project. We can also supply all the information you need (including forms) for a successful application.
Frequently Asked Questions
My well is contaminated. What should I do?
You should check your well to see if there are any obvious signs of contamination such as recent landspreading or cattle too close to your well. Protecting the catchment area of your well is one of the best ways to protect the quality of your water. You should also check to see is there any ingress of water into the borehole.
If your well is contaminated with E. coli or Coliform Bacteria you should boil the drinking water from the well until you are sure it is safe to drink and cook with.
You should disinfect your well by shock chlorination and see if this resolves the contamination (after retesting). If this is not successful in restoring the quality of your water you may need to consider improving the protection of your well and/or installing an appropriate treatment system. Once-off disinfection cannot replace a treatment system if your supply is always or often contaminated.
Where can I get my water tested?
Applicants must arrange for their water supply to be sampled and tested in Accordance with European Union (Drinking Water) Regulations 2014.
The test must be carried out by an Independent Water Quality Laboratory which is accredited to ISO 17025 for testing all parameters listed below. Water Samples must be taken on site by qualified personnel.
List of parameters for testing:
- Coliform Bacteria
- coli
- Arsenic
- pH
- Iron
- Manganese
- Nitrate
- Clostridium Perfringens
- Colour
- Conductivity @ 20C
- Fluoride
- Turbidity
- Ammonium (NH4)
- Arsenic
- Hardness
- Odour
- Taste
What treatment system would I require to improve my water quality?
Celtic Water Solutions takes a consultative approach to water treatment. The first step would be to the get the water tested to understand the chemistry if water. Based on the water test results, we can suggest a bespoke water treatment solution to solve your water problem.
For more information on our well treatment systems, please visit this link.
How to apply for Local Authority Well Grants?
An application for a well grant under this scheme must be made to a local authority on Form PWS 1a which can be downloaded from the respective county councils’ website.
The local authority will carry out a prior inspection to -
- determine eligibility and whether the proposed works qualify, and
- in the case of an application relating to the improvement of an existing supply, determine whether the such supply is seriously deficient.
The applicant will be required to submit three quotations for all works for the Authority to determine the most appropriate contractor. The authority will consider whether the relevant works qualify, and determine an approved cost and amount of grant, when full details of such works are provided.
Once the applicant receives approval in writing from their Local Authority, the improvement works may commence.
Testing, sampling, analysis and certification of the water supply is an essential part of verification of the improvement works. It is necessary to verify that the deficiency has been resolved to the satisfaction of the Local Authority.
Assessment of a completed payment claim form, water sample results and a Water Quantity Certificate will be required to allow for payment of the grant to the Applicant.
Celtic Water Solutions can help you successfully apply for a well water grant and assist in the whole process. To make an enquiry, fill out the contact form on this page.
How long does it take to process grant application?
Your grant application may take anywhere from 1-2 months to process.
The water from my well smells sometimes. Will I be eligible for a grant?
There are several types of possible smells from your well, all with different causes. The most common types of odour are rotten eggs (from hydrogen sulphide), mustiness, sewage/slurry, hydrocarbons (i.e. petrol, diesel or kerosene).
There is a high chance that the well has been contaminated and you should get a water test done to understand the cause of the problem.
In most cases, the treatment works would be qualified as part of the water treatment grant.
My well has high lime content. Will I be eligible for a grant?
Hard water is not a serious health hazard. Therefore, any treatment equipment to remove excess lime from water would not qualify for a grant.