Irish Water has promised to improve its communications after a major leak at a treatment plant in Ringsend.
It took three days before the public found out that partially treated sewage was spilling into Dublin Bay last month.
Concerns have been raised that swimmers could have been putting their health at risk.
Irish Water's Michael O'Leary says the sewage spilling into the sea was not raw, and had been partially treated.
"We are not into the business of hiding problems", he told a South East Area Committee meeting.
He said Irish Water "prefers to be communicating the problem, and working to find a solution".
Ringsend Leak Problems
Irish Water has long flagged capacity problems at Ringsend.
The plant almost always operates at above what it was designed to.
Works to upgrade the treatment plant started a year ago, to try and meet demand from Dublin's growing population.
In the days before the most recent leak, it had suffered a "shock load".
That is when a large amount of human waste arrives for treatment, without warning.
Officials say it isn't possible to tell why volumes spike, or where in the network they come from.
