Latest news with #UisceÉireann
Agriland
4 hours ago
- Business
- Agriland
Farm orgs: Farmers shouldn't 'feel pressured' by water supply offer
Farm organisations have been involved in negotiations with Uisce Éireann. The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) have said that they have been involved in a negotiating process with Uisce Éireann on the 'Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region' for a number of months. The process was undertaken with a view to agreeing a package that would be offered to landowners whose lands are on the proposed pipeline route. According to the farm organisations, Uisce Éireann has sent an offer pack out to farmers on the route. While the discussions between the negotiating teams have ended, the final outcome has yet to go before the governing bodies of both organisations for approval. Prior to the negotiations commencing, both the IFA and ICMSA made it clear to Uisce Éireann that approval "would be sought and required". In a joint statement released today (July 30), the farm organisations said that they advised Uisce Éireann that they would put the proposed agreement to the scheduled meeting of their respective governing bodies in early September. According to the IFA and ICMSA, the compensation package and associated items will still be put to the governing bodies for approval at that point. The organisations said that they are disappointed that Uisce Éireann chose to issue the offer pack to landowners in the absence of a final agreement with the the groups. They claimed to have told Uisce Éireann that its September deadline for farmers to accept the offer is "far too premature", and suggest that the deadline is extended by a number of weeks. Both organisations will issue a further update once the package has been brought in front of their respective governing bodies. The IFA and the ICMSA have advised farmers on the route to take the time to read the package on offer, and consult with qualified advisors. They said that farmers should "not feel pressured" by the communication from Uisce Éireann.
Irish Independent
14 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Planning sought for new wastewater plant in Cork village
Uisce Éireann lodged planning permission to Cork County Council for the WWTP in Castlemagner. Minister for Special Education and Inclusion and Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North-West, Michael Moynihan, has welcomed the planning by saying: 'I have been a keen advocate for the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Castlemagner for several years so it's very welcome to see the planning application now submitted to Cork County Council. 'Having engaged with the relevant ministers and Irish Water (Uisce Éireann), we had already secured Castlemagner's inclusion in Irish Water's Small Towns and Villages Growth Programme, a critical step that prioritised the development of this much-needed infrastructure,' Mr Moynihan explained. The construction of the facility is seen as a significant step for the village's future development and will play a huge role in increasing the number of houses in the area. "The submission of this planning application is a testament to the hard work and collaboration that has gone into pushing this vital project forward for Castlemagner. 'It's well recognised that water infrastructure is one of the key enablers for housing and this new wastewater treatment plant is absolutely essential for the sustainable growth of the community, enabling much needed housing development and improving local infrastructure. 'With a decision due from the [Cork] County Council mid-August, I am committed to ensuring the project advances as swiftly as possible, and will continue to engage with all stakeholders to expedite the delivery of this critical infrastructure for the people of Castlemagner,' Mr Moynihan concluded.
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
'It's crazy': Mother and her newborn without water for six days in North Cork village
A Co Cork mother and her newborn baby were discharged home from hospital to discover the water supply in their home had been cut off for six days. And a neighbouring farmer was forced to constantly draw water for his 200-strong herd of cattle during the same period in the North Cork village of Ballyhooly. The cases have been highlighted by local councillors who claim that Uisce Éireann is letting potentially hundreds of thousands of litres of water leak daily as a result of its decision to reduce the number of repair crews in the region. Senior county council officials have agreed to write to the utility as a matter of urgency. In particular, councillors are pointing to Uisce Éireann's decision to halve the number of repair crews, from two to one, in the Fermoy Municipal District Council area which covers Ballyhooly. The North Cork village has been dogged by water outages for many months, primarily due to an ageing water main which is constantly fracturing. Water cut off for five days A recent leak left residents without any water supply from a Thursday to the following Tuesday. Fianna Fáil councillor Frank O'Flynn claimed the crew reduction is leading to the three main towns in the district — Fermoy, Mitchelstown, and Doneraile — getting priority, with other areas forced to wait if there are leaks. He raised the issues in Ballyhooly, and both he and Fine Gael councillor Kay Dawson described it as 'ironic' that the utility has introduced a hosepipe ban when it has been ignoring leaks for months on end. 'None of this[hosepipe ban] makes any sense when these leaks aren't being fixed. This is where the water is being wasted in huge quantities,' Mitchelstown-based Ms Dawson said. Mr O'Flynn said. 'Having just one [repair crew] is absolutely crazy. It isn't good enough and not fair on the existing crew. They are working above and beyond call of duty.' Repair crew 'can only cover major emergencies' Northern Division chairman Independent councillor William O'Leary said he had spoken with the only crew left in the Fermoy municipal area and was told they couldn't even travel to the region's second-largest town, Mitchelstown, unless there is a major emergency there. As a result, he said that villages like Ballyhooly are way down the pecking order when it comes to carrying out repairs. Labour councillor Ronan Sheehan said a similar issue is happening in the Duhallow region in the North-West of the county. Fianna Fáil councillor Bernard Moynihan, who lives in that region, said the utility is struggling to cope with the problems. 'There's huge issues with leaks in Boherbue and Freemount. It's brutal. There are fewer teams on the ground to repair them. It's an absolute disaster,' he said. Northern Division manager Niall Healy said he would raise the issue with the utility as a matter of urgency.
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
ieExplains: Why does every infrastructure project in Ireland take so long?
Ahead of the 2024 general election, then-Taoiseach Simon Harris was adamant Ireland needed a new Government department, one solely dedicated to the delivery of infrastructure. While Fianna Fáil was cooler on the idea, there was general agreement across the political spectrum: Ireland does not build things quickly enough. On Tuesday, there was confirmation of this in a new report that confirmed what everybody already knew. While the department of infrastructure did not get established, public expenditure Minister Jack Chambers was given the explicit title of infrastructure when he assumed the role in January. In May, he announced a new Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce. The taskforce, chaired by the minister, was established to "oversee the department's programme of reform to unblock barriers and accelerate infrastructure delivery". Why is it needed? The need for a taskforce is down to a simple fact: building in Ireland takes too long. Mr Chambers said on Tuesday "every element of the project life cycle has delayed things". "What's been set out here is that for infrastructure projects, the timeline has doubled in 20 years," Mr Chambers said. What does the report say? Tuesday's report uses examples from the likes of Uisce Éireann, which says the lead-in time for a small wastewater treatment project in Ireland is seven-10 years, and ESB Networks, which said the development cycle for an electricity substation has reached seven years. Major road projects can now have a development cycle of up to 15 years, it says, and these timelines have more than doubled compared to the development cycles typical just 20 years ago. This matters, because longer project lifecycles are costing more, and impeding the ability to provide adequate housing. It also delays the achievement of climate and environmental goals. The report also raises questions about the ability of the Irish construction sector to meet the challenges of infrastructure. It says the construction sector employed 236,800 people in 2007. At the beginning of this year, an estimated 178,000 people were directly employed in the sector, considerably fewer than 2007. The report says given limited labour availability, the capacity of the construction industry to expand to meet all of the investment needs in the economy must be carefully considered. The report says the key issues with Ireland's slow delivery are: a lack of public information which magnifies opposition, regulatory burden, risk aversion, insufficient co-ordination on approvals, slow processes, and procurement challenges. Do legal challenges play a part? According to the stakeholders, yes. The words "judicial review" appear in the review a total of 50 teams, with Mr Chambers saying he was concerned these were "too often being used as a mechanism and a tactic to obstruct and delay, and this distorts the intended purpose of judicial review from a remedy of last resort to a tactical tool to delay infrastructure development and clog up our courts". But put to him this view paints those who take legal cases as "bogeymen" in the face of a Government inability to deliver infrastructure, Mr Chambers said everything needed to change internally within how the State regulates and oversees projects. Read More Excessive regulation delaying key infrastructure projects, Cabinet to hear
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Major water pipeline to be turned off amid weekend repairs
A major drinking water pipeline in the greater Dublin area is to be turned off over the coming August Bank Holiday weekend to enable critical and complex repair works to be undertaken. Uisce Éirerann says the remedial work is essential to prevent a major pipe-burst that could take weeks to repair if it happened, and impact 1.7 million people. The pipeline connects Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant with the Saggart Reservoir and supplies one third of the greater Dublin area. The work involves fixing five leaks in the watermains as well as replacing a damaged 35 metre section of pipeline. Enabling this requires the water flowing through the pipe to be turned off temporarily and the pipeline to be drained. Uisce Éireann says it will be the largest ever planned watermains repair job undertaken in the greater Dublin Area. It warns that it is possible that water supply to its customers in Dublin and parts of Wicklow and Kildare could be interrupted over the bank holiday weekend because of the work being carried out. It is clear however, that 943 customers in Kill, Arthurstown, Rathmore, Athgoe and Tipperkevin will definitely experience disruptions to their drinking water supply over the coming weekend. Uisce Éireann says that alternative water supplies will be provided for people living in those areas. Appeal to conserve water It is issuing a major appeal to customers in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow to conserve water to help maintain everyone's water supply during these essential repair works. Uisce Éireann says it has been extensively planning and preparing for carrying out these complex works over the last nine months and has ensured all treated water reservoirs in the greater Dublin area are now as full as possible. Nevertheless, it says there is still a risk customers in Dublin, Wicklow and parts of Kildare may possibly experience interruptions to their water supply including low pressure, discoloured water, or water outages. Margaret Attridge, head of Water Operations at Uisce Éireann said: "This major pipeline can only be shut down for up to 28 hours before the water storage levels become too low, which could lead to widespread supply disruption. "Therefore, the specialist repair crews have a very tight deadline to finish the repairs and refill the pipeline with water. We will work through the day and night this weekend to complete these essential works as quickly and safely as possible. "We are asking for the public's help to minimise the impact of this operation; for this weekend we are asking everyone to act together and only use water for essential needs. "Please hold off on filling baths, car washing, power hosing, window washing, filling paddling pools and anything that is not vital. Reducing your water use will help maintain or extend water supply during the repairs, for yourself and, importantly, for vulnerable and high-risk users including hospitals and care homes." The repair's progress will be monitored closely and Uisce Éireann says it will keep customers updated as early as possible on the locations and duration of any prolonged impacts including supply disruptions, should they develop. It warned that following this type of work, occasionally issues such as cloudy water caused by air bubbles, or internal airlocks may arise.
