To ask the Minister for Infrastructure whether her Department will consider introducing legislation to require NI Water to provide continuous or real-time monitoring of sewage discharges, in line with the approach taken in Great Britain under the Environment Act 2021.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is responsible for monitoring water quality, including carrying out sampling, monitoring and investigations, and would therefore be best placed to consider if new legislation is required.

However, NI Water has advised that it is currently working with DAERA to develop a pilot project for near real time Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) reporting to support DAERA in making assessments of public health risks for water users, particularly bathers. In addition, as of September 2025, NI Water has approximately 655 EDMs installed and sufficiently verified to support effective use for operational maintenance and monitoring. Of these, 222 EDMs have been fully quality assured for both operational maintenance and release of spill count data to the public, via NI Water’s storm overflow webpage (NI Water's Storm Overflows).

By the end of Price Control 21 (31 March 2028), NI Water aims to have approximately 40% of its 2,430 storm overflows fitted with EDMs. This ongoing programme of installation of EDMs will continue into Price Control 28 (2028-2034), subject to funding.

For any future queries relating to operational matters, you should contact NI Water directly, through the Elected Representatives Hotline on 0345 300 6461 or through waterline@niwater.com

Making direct contact with NI Water will ensure that you receive the information in the shortest possible timeframe and make best use of limited public resources.