The Court Service has reportedly warned that the system can't cope with the burden of pursuing households who don't pay their water bills.
About 500 thousand households have yet to register with Irish Water, despite the first bills being sent out this week.
According to the Sunday Times, the Department of the Environment is considering whether to allow the company to secure court orders that would see the amount taken from people's pay packets.
A memo outlining the concerns of the Court Service has been circulated to government departments.
