Residents in Lismore attended a private meeting last night with Waterford Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage John Cummins as well as representatives from Uisce Éireann.

The town has been subjected to ongoing issues with water supply for months, with some businesses forced to close and schools not being able to open.

In a previous statement to WLR, Uisce Éireann confirmed to WLR that they acknowledge and regret the inconvenience that water outages can cause.

Protests were subsequently held in the town in February, where locals were calling for immediate action to address the ongoing water supply issues.

A meeting held at the Lismore Heritage Centre last night was reported to be “positive”, as one member of the meeting confirmed to WLR News this morning.

In a statement on social media, a spokesperson from the Lismore Water Action Group outlined the proceedings of the meeting.

“Uisce Éireann began the meeting with a presentation outlining their recent efforts to address the water challenges in Lismore. They shared that, as an immediate response to the outage issues, they have installed a remote starter on the pump.

“This innovative solution will alert the team immediately if there is a problem at the pumphouse, allowing for swift action before any issues escalate. This proactive approach means that potential problems can be resolved without the public ever being aware of them.

“In addition to this, Uisce Éireann reported that they have identified and repaired 15 public leaks, with the last two being fixed just last night. This work is expected to significantly increase water pressure in the area. They also identified 17 private leaks, engaging with customers on 13 of these cases to ensure comprehensive coverage.
“Looking ahead, Uisce Éireann is planning to install valves that can isolate sections of the town, street by street. This means that if an issue arises in one area, such as Railway Gardens, the rest of Lismore will remain unaffected—a welcome change that promises to enhance the reliability of our water supply.
“Furthermore, Uisce Éireann is in discussions to secure land for a new reservoir, which will be crucial for accommodating the town’s growth over the past few years. If all goes well with the land purchase and planning approvals, they hope to have the reservoir operational within 18 months.”
The statement continued that the issue of limescale was raised at the meeting, however, Uisce Éireann confirmed there is little that can be done to combat that issue.
Waterford TD John Cummins spoke to WLR this morning, saying he will do everything he can to ensure the issue is fixed.
“Last night I chaired a meeting in Lismore with residents, Uisce Éireann officials, and officials from my department to hear the issues that residents continue to face regarding the loss of water supply and low water pressure issues. Uisce Éireann gave an overview of the challenges in the area and discussed the next steps that they’re going to take in order to rectify the problems.
“I think it was a productive meeting for all involved and provided everyone the  opportunity to ask questions and hear firsthand the solutions that Uisce Éireann is working towards and as Minister of State in the Department of Housing, I’m going to continue to work hard on this matter and for the people of Waterford.”
The meeting concluded with a Q&A with members of the Lismore Water Action Group.
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