A cross-party crunch meeting is taking place today to discuss major water supply issues in South Inishowen.
Local public representatives are due to meet with senior management of Irish Water in Letterkenny at noon.
Answers are being sought on the continuous water mains bursts impacting on the South Inishowen water supply and the delays in completing the €5.8 million North East Inishowen water supply project.
Donegal Senator Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, who campaigned for the meeting, said many issues are on the table:
He said: “I welcome this meeting as an opportunity to get some long overdue answers on behalf of the people that we represent. It is also an opportunity to hold the management of Irish Water to account on some serious shortfalls in delivery
“Firstly, we understand that Irish Water plans to extend the water supply from the Eddie Fullerton Dam on to Letterkenny despite the constant bursts to the water mains on that route. Bursts that repeatedly impact on a large number of homes and businesses in South Inishowen.
“Not only have Irish Water refused to commit to a pipe replacement programme on this route, incredibly they now want to extend this unstable supply onto Letterkenny.
“All of this needs to be urgently reviewed and I will be demanding a pipe replacement programme for South Inishowen”.
Senator Mac Lochlainn added that clarity will be requested on scheduled projects in North East Inishowen.
“Secondly, we need answers on when the North East Inishowen water supply project will be finally completed.
“Earlier this year, following the news of the appointment of administrators to four of its companies by Lagan Constuction, (who had won the contract for works amounting to €3.7 million of the overall €5.8 million project), I had requested a meeting with Irish Water.
“They refused a meeting and instead, gave me an assurance that this project would be completed by the end of this year.
The contract won by Lagan Construction, includes the transfer of 1,500m3/day from the Eddie Fullerton Dam into North East Inishowen and will necessitate the construction of a pumping station within the existing Eddie Fullerton Dam site, a 6.95km rising main to a new reservoir at Crockaveeny and 4.5km of distribution mains.
“It is particularly important to the community in Greencastle in that it will provide a secure and safe supply of water to them following their real concerns about the high levels of THMs in their water supply.
“Unfortunately, Irish Water’s assurance to me has not been honoured. The project will not be completed this year and I and the people of Inishowen need answers as to why that is.”
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