Drumlish reservoir proposal played down
A proposal to have a new water reservoir in Drumlish to supply the village and its surrounds was played down by council officials, who said that a future upgrade will improve the supply in the north Longford area.
Cllr Martin Mulleady, who put forward the proposal for a new reservoir, said the a lot of houses were affected with their water supply in Drumlish during the cold snap, which, contrary to most areas in the county, was not down to pipes being frozen.
He said that he was looking the reservoir in the village. He said there was one proposed for Cloonmacart, about half a mile outside the village about ten years ago, which never materialised.
"There was numerous problems with the water supply in Drumlish because it's feeding half the area of north Longford before it reaches the biggest town in north Longford outside of Granard," said Cllr Mulleady, who added that the reservoir mooted for the village should now be put in place.
Cllr Mulleady asked for an extra nine inch main from Prucklish to feed Drumlish, or for a reservoir to be put in the village. "I have no problem going to the minister to look for the reservoir for Drumlish," he added.
Cllr Gerry Brady agreed with Cllr Mulleady and said a request should be submitted to the Department for extra funding for a reservoir in Drumlish and cited other areas receiving funding Knockahaw €13m (€3m local contribution) and Lanesboro €8m (€3m local contribution).
"The fact is we haven't got the capacity in Prucklish, Dernacross or Cornakelly to feed Drumlish," he said, adding that he didn't think that funding would be available for a new reservoir.
Director of Services Ciaran Murphy said there were a variety of reasons why the supply in Drumlish has been affected in recent weeks. He said that there are five different lines serving Drumlish, from Gowna and Longford regional water supply schemes. He said the council also experienced problems with the Dooroc supply, which he said is a temporary over-ground supply that froze during the bad weather. He said that supply was replacing a 70-year-old water main.
Mr Murphy said that some estates experienced problems due to pipes freezing, which saw the council supply temporary tankers and stand-pipes to supply water.
"At the minute most should have their water supply restored, although some don't have their full pressure yet. We're still experiencing problems with bursts and we're conserving water," said Mr Murphy.
He said the long term future strategic solution for Drumlish water supply will see a major upgrade at Lough Forbes water treatment plant to increase output. Mr Murphy said it includes an 18 inch rising main from Lough Forbes to the Prucklish reservoir, which he said would provide another 5,000 cubic metres of water in the reservoir.
"It will effectively triple the storage capacity there," he said.
The start on that upgrade is awaiting contract documents to be prepared by the council's consultants, which he anticipated would be completed in May. He added that he had no problem with Cllr Mulleady seeking the funding from the Department for a reservoir in Drumlish.
Cllr Mulleady said that while welcoming the upgrade at Lough Forbes, he said that the feeds coming from Prucklish to Drumlish need to be increased.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Weather for Longford, Ireland
Thursday 17 May 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 6 C to 12 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 7 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
