Mmm. The trouble with the water metering (water meters were installed, but an effort to have people pay a company was defeated, so far) is that the plan for payment was deeply unfair. But in truth there's nothing wrong with the concept that people should pay for water they use.
water charges
The issue has not gone away. Like the household charge and registration of septic tanks it was a moneymaking exercise to obtain revenue from the anaemic celtic tiger.
Generating a clean water supply to household taps requires treatment works, and infrastructure with ongoing monitoring and repair. The cost has to be paid it would seem highly sensible that the customer pays.
If you have a borehole it requires a pump, power supply and possibly filtering.This all comes at a cost to the householder.
Food does not come without cost, or fuel,or electricity so why the expectation that treated water be free? A variable tariff on such things is a good way of reducing abuse of the system and therefore commendable for being very green.
Water only comes out of the sky for free, getting it out of a tap costs