Uisce Éireann has issued a lengthy statement in relation to water supply issues in Lismore, which have caused widespread frustration in the area.
The issue has been covered in detail on WLR and has also been raised by local councillors at the Dungarvan/Lismore District meeting of Waterford City and County Council this week.
In a statement to WLR, Uisce Éireann said:
Regrettably, several recent incidents have impacted Lismore's water supply. Uisce Éireann acknowledges and regrets the inconvenience. We would like to assure customers that when an unplanned outage occurs, local water services crews are immediately dispatched to do repair work as soon as possible. Our focus is always on ensuring that the water supply is returned to all customers as quickly as possible.
Currently, the Lismore area has no storage facility for treated drinking water. Any interruption to production at the water treatment plant immediately affects all customers. Interruptions or low water pressure are often a result of power outages, leaks or bursts on the network.
After an interruption to supply, normal water supply can take several hours to return to all customers, particularly for those on higher ground or at the farthest reaches of the network; it can take longer.
Uisce Éireann is progressing with several strategically important plans to tackle these challenges and ensure a safer, more reliable, and more resilient water supply for Lismore. This will involve major investment in upgrading drinking water infrastructure and will take time as plans will need to move through required statutory and regulatory processes such as land acquisition, planning and procurement.
Repairs and upgrades to the pipework on the Lismore network have been prioritised. Last week, active leak detection crews were deployed to Lismore. As part of this programme of works in November 2024, main valve replacement works were carried out. The collective efforts of the 'Find and Fix' activity will help strengthen ongoing initiatives to reduce the number of leaks and bursts on the network.
In addition, a plan to upgrade the disinfection systems at the water treatment plant is underway. This will require land acquisition and planning permission. When the upgrade is complete, it will reduce the instances when the current water treatment plant is forced to shut down.
Overall, the lack of treated water storage remains a key challenge that will be resolved as part of the long-term solution. Uisce Eireann will be carrying out analysis workshops in the coming months on the provision of storage. This storage will need to be provided in a location that will ensure the long term sustainability of the Lismore Public Water Supply. Providing a robust, resilient, and safe water supply to the local community of Lismore remains a top priority for Uisce Éireann, but it will require a significant capital investment, including land acquisition, planning, and procurement, which will take time.
Lismore is included in the Supply Demand Balance Ground Water Programme and is part of the National Water Resource Plan. The preferred approach for the Lismore water supply is a new groundwater source, a new water treatment plant, and a new treated water storage reservoir on a single site. Uisce Éireann has conducted an initial hydrogeology review of the area and is conducting further reviews and trials this year.
Recent outages
On Tuesday, February 4, there was an unplanned power outage at the Water Treatment Plant. This was followed by another power disruption overnight on Wednesday, February 5. When an outage occurs, the plant shuts down and must be manually restarted by the local caretaker. Any interruption to production at the water treatment plant immediately affects all customers. After an interruption to supply, normal water supply can take several hours to return to all customers, particularly those on higher ground or at the farthest reaches of the network; it can take longer.
School closure
In December, there was an unplanned burst on the network. Local water services crews were dispatched to find the burst and carry out repair works as soon as possible. Our focus is always to ensure that the normal water supply is returned to all customers as quickly as possible.
Planned or unplanned outages
The latest information for planned or unplanned outages can be found on the water supply outage portal on water.ie, and it is the most frequently visited page on the website. Uisce Éireann has also launched a free text service, providing real-time updates for local issues. Customers can sign up with their Eircode and mobile number at www.water.ie
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