Longford Councillor accuses Uisce Éireann of 'ignoring' concerns of people

Frequent water outages in the Ballymahon Municipal area are damaging local businesses and causing major inconvenience and hardship for thousands of householders and Uisce Éireann seem to be 'ignoring the concerns' of local people.

That is the view of Fine Gael Councillor Paul Ross who has described one stretch of pipe which regularly bursts between Carrickedmond and Doory Church as the 'worst in the country'.

He believes the wider area which stretches from Ballymahon, Forgney, Ardagh to Edgeworthstown, has 'just gone to crisis point'.

Cllr Ross has stated the recurring outages are unacceptable and the thousands of people in south county Longford who are impacted deserve an adequate service.

The Fine Gael representative stated it is crazy that residents are almost dealing with bursts on a daily basis.

"We are at a stage in the summer where we have had eight bursts in 11 days and it's just unbelievable the situation we are in.

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“People are so frustrated.

"I mean, it's just gone beyond a joke at this stage.”

There were two outages on Tuesday alone with the first occuring at 7am in Legan and the secondburst happening in Carrickedmond.

There was another outage on Monday and multiple burst last week.

"You have farmers who have cattle out that have no water, you have businesses such as hairdressers, restaurants, cafes who can't function.

"You have householders who are waking up regularly who can't put on a wash, it's just gone beyond a joke.

"We have been shouting about this for the past number of years, local politicians, we have all been making representations on it but we are making absolutely no headway.

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"Uisce Éireann just seem to be ignoring the concerns of the people in the Ballymahon area and this is a huge area stretching from Ballymahon, Forgney back as far as Edgeworthstown.

"We are a first world country and we have no continuity of water supply in the Ballymahon area and we are just asking Uisce Éireann to get off their hands and do something."

Cllr Ross stated they all know the water mains needs to be replaced between Carrickboy and Ballymahon and improvement works that were due to take place last year should have happened.

"That is where all the bursts are happening.

"I drove along a section of road there between Carrickedmond Church and Gerety's garage and I spotted 11 bursts on that section.

"I think there have been about 25 bursts since Christmas, it's just as I say gone to crisis point."

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"All the WhatsApp groups I'm on now, it's a running joke, but it's not a joke and it's utterly serious.

" I mean, there are families there with newborn kids looking to have baths and showers who can't do it," he added.

"I suppose we are asking the question, why has this gone so bad and it looks like Irish Water have just ignored it?

"We have heard of a proposed upgrade, but we're in the dark as to when that's going to happen."

Cllr Ross said they were told it was going to happen last year but that never transpired and he is being inundated with calls from local people.

"We have no idea when it's going to start and people are ringing up wondering why this isn't being worked on, but politicians have no answers.

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"There are a couple of acute points between Carrickedmond Church and Doory Cross is one section where there are numerous bursts. And then at the head of the Clonard Road on the N55, it's another very weak point where there's numerous bursts.

There have been two in the last week there."

Cllr Ross said Uisce Éireann 'needs to be accountable' for the situation.

"With the advent of Uisce Éireann, there's an increased supply of water to that area.

"But now it's the residents in that area who supported Center Parcs who seem to be discommoded by Uisce Éireann's inability to upgrade the network."

An Uisce Éireann spokesperson, who issued a response, said regrettably, there has been a sequence of unplanned water supply disruptions to customers in the Ballymahon area due to frequent bursts on an ageing trunk water main.

"We understand how disruptive these unplanned outages can be, and we regret the inconvenience they have caused.

"When any unplanned outage occurs, our crews are dispatched immediately to carry out repairs and restore normal supply as quickly as possible.

"We appreciate the ongoing patience of our affected customers as we work to resolve the issue with the trunk main.

 "Regarding, Ardagh it is in an elevated area and has historically had pressure issues. 

"The supply to Ardagh comes from the Richmond reservoir and is pumped to a station at Ardoghill.

"The way the network was originally configured means the water is then pumped around the back-of-the-hill towards Ardagh village.  

"Following repair works, it typically takes three to four hours for normal supply to be fully restored to all areas as the water refills the network, especially for those on higher ground or at the end of the network it can take longer.

 "As part of the National Leakage Reduction Programme, Uisce Éireann is currently in the final stages of the tender process for a project that will replace over 5.4 km of old and problematic water mains prone to frequent bursts and outages along the N55 between Carrickedmond and Ballymahon. 

"Due to the frequent bursts on this section of the network, Uisce Éireann has prioritised this project.

Once the necessary regulatory requirements are completed and before this project moves to construction, Uisce Éireann will proactively communicate clear details of the project to the local community and related stakeholders in the area.

"Our water services crews will continue to find and repair bursts on the network as soon as they become aware of them and restore normal water supply for our customers as quickly as possible. 

Uisce Éireann stated they carry out extensive communications to ensure all stakeholders are updated.

"Uisce Éireann proactively issues press releases to print, broadcast, and online media outlets and news desks in Longford in advance of any significant outages, water restrictions (planned works, water supply interruptions, boil water notices or do not consume notices) and project milestones etc.

"Our press releases and updates are issued to all media outlets in Longford, to all Elected Reps in Longford, the Contact Centre, promoted on social media and on our website.

"All press releases that are issued to the media are also shared with Councillors, TDs and Senators (all Elected Representatives) via Uisce Éireann’s Local Rep Support Desk as well as local business stakeholders in the area including local branches of Chambers Ireland etc. 

"The Uisce Éireann website is updated with press release content and our Water Supply Updates portal, which is on the homepage and is the most frequently visited page on the website, is updated with the latest information.

"We utilise our social media channels to assist in communicating to our customers and use X and Facebook for geographically targeted posts when appropriate to do so," the spokesperson concluded.

"Uisce Éireann’s customer care team is available 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on X @IWCare with any queries. For further updates, customers can visit the service and supply section of www.water.ie  

 Uisce Éireann said it has a free text service, providing real-time updates for local issues. Customers can sign up with their Eircode and mobile number at the text alerts page.  

Uisce Éireann advises that, as best practice, homes, and businesses have on-site water storage tanks to provide a backup source of water for sanitation purposes in the event of a water outage.

However, the said they understand this may not always be feasible.