60,000 homes still going without water

Crucial pipeline may not be fully repaired for days

THOUSANDS of families will be left without water as Irish Water admitted yesterday that it does not know when a crucial pipeline will be fixed.

A burst main in Drogheda, Co. Louth has left more than 60,000 homes and businesses in Louth and Meath without water since last Friday.

Irish Water last night said what has happened in Drogheda could happen anywhere in the country as the ageing water pipeline infrastructure – in some places up to 150-years-old – continues to erode.

More than €20 million is needed to replace the town’s water supply system.

Irish Water was asked on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland when Drogheda’s water problems, which have been repeatedly flagged up in the past six years, will be fixed.

Conor Foley, head of Irish Water operations for East and Midlands, was unable to say when.

Instead, he said the issue of replacing the entire country’s problem mains is a ‘generational thing’.

Asked if this means it will take a generation to sort out ageing and damaged pipes, he replied: ‘To restore all the issues? Absolutely.’

He added: ‘This repair is proving to be very, very challenging for a number of reasons.

‘The pipeline is at a significant depth. It is four and half metres deep.

‘There are very, very difficult ground conditions at the site and the age, the size and the type of the pipe means that the existing old pipe is actually deformed in the ground.

‘So, our standard methods and fittings are proving ineffective.

‘We are having to engineer and actually build a brand-new fitting from scratch and there is a company in Northern Ireland that are doing that for us.’

Drogheda town mayor Pio Smith was unconvinced by Irish Water promises.

‘This is not the problem with the staff on the ground, it’s the problem with the decision-making back at Irish water HQ,’ Mr Smith said.

‘The problems with the Drogheda water system have been known about for years.

‘But I think part of the problem is that Irish Water haven’t taken into account previous similar types of repair works and what could go wrong.’

He added: ‘Irish water said 30,000 people were affected but the population of Drogheda is actually 40,000.

‘And if you go out into the main outlying villages and towns, you are talking about another 20,000 at least.

‘This is just silly stuff. They need to get their act together they really do.’

An Irish Water spokesperson said last night that extra tankers and stand-pipe locations were to be provided today.

Irish Water said the company had a total of 13 mobile water tankers filling reservoirs throughout the day and hope to have up to 20 mobile tankers filling reservoirs by this afternoon.

Irish Water spokesperson addded: ‘The Rosehall reservoir and plant were decommissioned as the raw water source was prone to running dry during summer months and the Staleen Water Treatment Plan had to take over the supply.

‘In addition to this the source water was identified as having a potential issue with THMs [Trihalomethanes].

‘As an old plant Rosehall’s treatment processes were also deemed to be insufficient.

‘For these reasons Irish Water is not considering recommissioning the plant.’ neil.michael@dailymail.ie