UPDATE ON RECENT MEETING WITH IRISH WATER
9 February 2022
February 2022
Dear Resident,
In the wake of the recent series of water outages and intermittent problems with supply and water pressure in the area, I arranged a meeting with Irish Water officials.
Local Woodlands resident Gary Brodigan contributed to the meeting to give the views of residents.
It was a useful exCercise and the Irish Water officials are now very clear on the impact that these problems have been having on Dunleer residents and businesses.
The key take-aways from the meeting are as follows;
RECENT OUTAGES
The recent outages arose from elevated levels of ammonia in the River Dee, the supply source for Greenmount. I have requested that the Environmental Office of Louth County Council investigates this issue, identifies the source and takes any formal actions that may be necessary. During the recent outages, Irish Water identified a problem with the pipe connecting Greenmount with Dunleer. This issue occurs when water levels drop below one metre, creating airlocks which impacts on supply to the village. Irish Water has committed to investing to resolve this in the short term.
REPLACEMENT OF GREENMOUNT WITH A MODERN PLANT
Irish Water recognises that water infrastructure in the area must be modernised. A new plant is planned to meet the needs of the area up to 2044, but it is dependent on securing investment from central government. In the meantime, Greenmount must be upgraded. I will make contact with the Minister for Housing and Local Government to make the case for funding to be fast-tracked. PTO…
SUPPLY TO WOODLANDS AREA
Following this meeting, Irish Water is now fully aware of the problems being experienced by residents in the Woodlands area in particular. We expressed concerns over the impact that the addition of 50 new homes in the area will potentially have on supply locally. Irish Water signed off on the planning application and they have committed to providing us with more information on the capacity of the system to meet added demand. Importantly they have also pledged to consider introducing booster pumps if required and I will remain in contact with Irish Water on this.
COMMUNICATION ISSUES
Irish Water accepts that communication with local residents must be improved. They have committed to work with local residents’ groups and to use the group(s) as a contact point and a conduit to communicate up to date, reliable information from Irish Water in the event of any outages in the future.
I will continue to link in with local residents as and when I receive additional updates from Irish Water on the matters above.
In the meantime, I am of course always available to assist you and your family on any issues of concern to you.
Best wishes,
GED NASH TD