Funds flow to fix County’s water system

MORE than €3mn is to be spent in Co Limerick on replacing 23km of watermain to avoid water being lost through the current leaky system. It comes a week after the Limerick Post reported that the city council was to spend more than €5mn on replacing 19km of watermains. This week, Phil Hogan, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, approved Limerick County Council’s proposals to carry out extensive rehabilitation works in the County at an estimated cost of €3.065mn.

Minister Hogan’s stated: “It is difficult to justify major capital expenditure on new water supply infrastructure unless we also tackle high unaccounted for water levels in the existing supply systems. I expect local authorities to commence mains rehabilitation and replacement works with a value of over €320mn nationwide.”
The Council intends to carry out the work to replace 22.865km of watermain along with 624 associated new individual services.
According to the Minister’s department, common backyard services will also be replaced in accordance with the relevant Departmental Circulars.
The rehabilitation works will tackle pipes that are ranked poorly in regard to age, condition, burst history and that have experienced level of service problems.
“The Council’s priorities for water mains rehabilitation are to enhance the water quality, prevent mains failure, identify service pipe defects, improve pressure and flow, reduce interruptions to supply and address leakage and operational serviceability,” a Department of Environment statement said.
The Minister’s approval now allows Limerick County Council to prepare contract documents for its water conservation proposals with the view to seeking tenders and having the works commence as soon as possible.