The Environmental Investment Center supports the renovation and construction of public water supply systems and has financed water management projects worth nearly €275 million since 2000. Vahur Tarkmees, project manager for water services reform, said that 85 percent of the population currently has access to public water supply and sewerage services, but more work remains to be done in rural areas.

"Especially in smaller settlements, where reconstruction work is needed and of course new connections still need to be built for both water and sewer systems," he said.

Despite the fact that the option to connect to water and sewer systems has been brought to the boundary of many properties, not everyone uses it.

Tarkmees said there are nearly 200,000 connection points, but around 17,000 households have not taken advantage of the opportunity — some due to the cost, others for different reasons.

He cited the example of Kohila Municipality, where he served as the local water company's director a couple of years ago: "During those years, nearly 2,500 new connection points were built in the small borough of Aespa and the village of Vilivere. Now five years have passed since people were able to connect, but only half of the households have done so, while the other half have not."

According to Tarkmees, the main reason is that in many households people still move between the city and the countryside and are not permanent residents.

The problem is greatest in former summer cottage areas, but even in Tallinn about 2 percent of households have not considered it necessary to connect to the public water supply and sewerage system.

Tarkmees noted that this does not bode well for groundwater and nearby bodies of water. "A collection well is always a risk, especially older ones. Their leakproofing is highly questionable."

In addition to the risk that households choosing to remain outside the public sewer system pose to clean water, their share of water system costs is left to those who have connected. The state is aware of the problem, but making connections mandatory is not straightforward, Tarkmees said.

"The state is already considering how to literally oblige people to connect to the public sewer system in areas where it has been built. An analysis is also underway on what kind of solution would be lawful and would not infringe on people's rights or freedom of choice."

The Ministry of Climate said it is not currently working on the issue and that no draft legislation to make connection mandatory is being prepared.

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