Water supply in high demand
RESIDENTS across the district may not be able to fill their swimming pools or power wash their decking, but they have and will continue to have water in their taps, local councillors have been assured.
This was the message that went out from Senior Executive Engineer Dan McCartan at the New Ross Municipal Council meeting in The Tholsel, where he happily declared:
‘We have maintained our supply throughout the current dry spell.’
Mr McCartan said: ‘New Ross is going well thanks to some works we did to the weir over the past couple of years.’
He said there has been a 20 per cent increase in demand for water from the Taylorstown water treatment plant due to the influx of tourists to the coastal area and extra demands from the agriculture sector.
‘We have been working away in the background and have raised the weir and have a small project which will enable us to cope better for fisheries. We are doing all that we can to keep the water flowing through the taps.’
He said water services staff carried out a significant job on the plant in May which has improved the situation.
‘Half way through that job I made sure Irish Water officials came down to see what the situation was.’
Mr McCartan said Irish Water are going to prioritise the plant for works.
Proposals are being progressed for refurbishment works at Ballycullane reservoir to improve water intake and monitoring and response post emergency draw down of supply. Mr McCartan said cost estimates are being finalised.
He said minor works have been competed at Carrigbyrne and Clonroche borehole sites. ‘ The upgrades have included provision at Carrigbyrne to run both pumps simultaneously at a reduced rate. Due to the extended dry spell borehole output from the two sites was decreasing and storage levels were diminished. The works returned output to normal levels.’
Cllr Willie Fitzharris, pictured left, said he has been receiving calls criticising the speed at which council water staff repair leaks. ‘I see it on social media as well,’ he added.
‘My staff are repairing leaks every day as they are reported,’ Mr McCartan said, getting back up from Cllr Michael Whelan who said someone in Ballycullane reported a leak one morning recently and it was fixed that evening.
‘If it’s an inconsequential thing you leave it and do the bigger thing,’ Mr McCartan added.
District director Eamonn Hore said council workers have fixed thousands of leaks.
‘ There is no news in saying “I had my leak fixed in 24 hours”,’ Mr Hore said.
Mr McCartan said his main concern is when the rain comes.
‘At the moment the water is extremely clean; it hasn’t gotten down to a trickle where it would get dirty.’
Mr McCartan concluded by saying: ‘Nothing is coming off of the land because there is no rain so the first bit of rain we get will wash everything into the rivers but we will be on top of it,’