74 families in Portlaw are set to go without water services by the end of June unless a situation of conflict is resolved, a local councillor has told the April meeting of the Comeragh District of Waterford City & County Council.
Cllr. Declan Clune (Independent) has consistently raised queries regarding the water supply for the Woodlands housing estate in Portlaw, which has experienced constant interruptions to water supply, leading to residents going without water for two consecutive days or more on multiple occasions.
Cllr. Clune told the meeting that a private company, based in Thurles, Tipperary, sent residents a €400 bill last year for the supply of water, before sending another bill for the same amount later in 2022.
As a result of growing conflict, Cllr. Clune outlined that the private company have now chosen to withdraw from supplying a water service to the estate.
“There can’t be a scenario where we have 74 families with no guarantee of water supply. Who is obliged or responsible to provide a safe, clean water supply to the residents of the Woodlands estate? In the original planning documents for the estate, the council clearly stated planning permission shouldn’t be given unless there was a connection to the public water supply.”
The wastewater is connected to a public line, but not the drinking water supply, which is via a pump in an adjacent field and is being maintained by the private third party company, Cllr. Clune further explained. “I’ve seen those planning documents insisting the water supply should be via the main public water supply, but this seems to have changed at some stage, and I can’t find the document that gives the reason why it was changed. Why did this change, how did it change and who made the decision to change it?” he asked.
Senior Executive Planner with Waterford City & County Council, Aisling O’Sullivan said she didn’t have any immediate answers but promised to address the situation. “I will speak with the acting Senior Engineer in water services and will have a look at it, but I’ll have to revert back to you, because I don’t have the answers you’re looking for here with me today,” Ms. O’Sullivan said. Cllr. Clune stated his hope that this would be as soon as possible, given that the situation is likely to come to a head in June.
