Irish Water is carrying out upgrades on Group Water Schemes in parts of West Clare in a bid to resolve issues surrounding the return of supply.
Households in the Miltown Malbay and surrounding areas have been experiencing ongoing water outages over recent months, which has resulted in many being left without water for several days.
Substantial works to replace a section of old water main between Miltown Malbay and Mullagh are scheduled to get underway early next year to provide a long term solution to supply issues.
But in the meantime, Irish Water is working with operators of Group Schemes to clear airlocks and carry out other actions in a bid to restore water more quickly when bursts occur.
Clare’s Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe says this new commitment is welcome.
Statement from Irish Water
Irish Water and Clare County Council are aware of ongoing issues with the water supply in the Miltown Malbay area and we are continuing to do everything in our power to address them.
Unfortunately, due to the age of the pipe network in the area, there have been a large number of bursts in recent weeks which have led to supply outages for customers.
When these bursts occur crews are dispatched to carry out repairs and restore water as quickly as possible – generally within the same day. However, it can take longer for normal supply to return for some customers at the ends of the network or on private Group Water Schemes which are supplied from the public water main.
In order to address this, we have begun working with the operators of these Group Schemes to clear airlocks and carry out other actions in a bid to restore water more quickly when bursts occur.
It is important to note, however, that the operation of Group Water Schemes falls outside the responsibility of Irish Water. We will continue to work closely with Clare County Council in advancing the Taking in Charge process for these schemes.
As a longer term solution, we are also planning to replace a section of old water main between Miltown Malbay and Mullagh. These works are subject to environmental, procurement, tendering and funding requirements and as a result are scheduled to get underway in Q1 2021.
Duane O’Brien, Irish Water’s Operation lead for Clare said “We fully understand the inconvenience and frustration caused by these supply disruptions and would like to assure people in the area that we are doing everything within our power to resolve these issues.
The age and poor condition of much of our pipe network is a big challenge which we are trying to address through focussed investment and through day-to-day maintenance and repair.
Our focus at this time is to safeguard the health and well-being of staff and the public and to ensure the continuity of drinking water and wastewater service”.
Updates on supply disruption are available on the supply and service section of our website https://www.water.ie and on twitter @IWCare.
The Irish Water customer care helpline is open 24/7 and customers can call us on 1850 278 278.
Irish Water also has a special services register for vulnerable customers who are critically dependant on water. For details on how to register as a vulnerable customer, please email [email protected] or phone 1850 278 278.
