It will be 25 years before leaks in the water system are at an acceptable level and ten years until lead piping is eliminated from the public mains.
Irish Water is publishing its 25 year investment plan this morning, which says 2021 is the target date to remove all boil water notices - while bringing waste treatment plants up to EU standards will also take a quarter of a century.
The company says it will have to reduce investment in the network by 300 million euro between now and the end of next year due to a lack of funding.
Environment Correspondent with the Irish Independent Paul Melia says this report shows there's been inadequate investment in the water network for decades:
