Upgrading Water Supply to the Northside a Priority- O'Brien

Upgrading Water Supply to the Northside a Priority- O'Brien


Reacting to the City Manager’s report on the severe weather crisis, Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan O’Brien has said upgrading the water supply to the Northside must now become a priority.

Cllr O’Brien said:

“There is much to commend in the response of the council to the severe weather crisis that affected the city through December and into the New Year. In particular, the council staff who put in long hours over the Christmas period gritting roads and working to fix broken pipes deserve to be congratulated.”

“However this is also the second year in a row in which large parts of the Northside experienced water shortages. This was largely due to the inadequacy of the pumping facilities at the Lee Road water station, which could not cope with the upsurge in demand caused by leaking pipes as the thaw set in. By contrast, the Southside of the city, which is supplied directly from Inniscarra, suffered significantly fewer problems.”

“Rectifying this situation must now become a priority for the council. It can either increase the pumping capacity at the Lee Road station, or put in place an inter-connector between Northside and Southside. Neither measure would involve huge expenditure. I would suggest that some of the €1 billion which the government plans to spend installing domestic water metres to facilitate the introduction of water charges might be better spent ensuring the people of the Northside can access a secure water supply in future winters.”

For further information or comment contact Cllr Jonathan O’Brien 085-2133907.