Tag Archives: Irish Water

A petition by [Dublin City] Councillor Chris Andrews calling on the Irish government and Irish Water/Ervia to stop breaching the European Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD), to fix the problems which are causing wastewater overflows, and give us a safe, clean and healthy Dublin Bay.

Sign here

Previously: The Brown Water Is Back

A discharge from the Ringsend wastewater treatment plant into Dublin Bay earlier this year

Irish Water has announced in a press release:

Irish Water is carrying out essential maintenance works at the Ringsend Wastewater Treatment Plant in the coming days in order to reduce the risk of odours from the plant.

These works are essential maintenance works on one of the odour control units at the Ringsend Wastewater Treatment Plant, and involve replacing carbon odour control media to ensure any odours generated in the primary clarifiers are effectively treated.

There may be intermittent odours while these works are carried out.

The works will start immediately and will take approximately five days. Irish Water would like to apologise for any odours that arise while the work is being carried out.

Previously: ‘Further Discharges Expected’

Pic: Eoin O’Shaughnessy/Dublin City Shots

This morning.

Via Highland Radio:

There’s further concern in Donegal over new rules applying to installing water connections.

It emerged that a man living in West Donegal has been quoted almost 70 thousand euro by Irish Water to get a connection from his new house to the water main, short distance away.

It follows similar claims made earlier this week at the latest sitting of Donegal County Council, with calls for a special workshop to take place to discuss the issue.

However, Cllr Michael Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig has requested an emergency meeting with Irish Water saying that this cannot be allowed to continue…

Further concern in Donegal over new rules to install water connections (Highland Radio)

Illustration: Irish Water

Yesterday.

Former Fine Gael junior minister Fergus O’Dowd describes efforts to privatise Irish Water by unseen forces.

Anyone?

Last night.

Prime Time on RTÉ One.

Emma Kennedy of Kennedy Analysis explains the amount of water that will be recovered through fixing leaks in the coming years will be offset by the projected growth in Dublin’s demand to the consternation of Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice (top).

Shannon pipeline not needed if Dublin water leaks fixed, study claims (Irish Times)

Where water wastage reports came from during the national hosepipe ban 

In July.

A national hosepipe ban was introduced due to the hot weather and subsequent drought in Ireland.

It was recently lifted from the west and northwest of the country but it’s been extended until the end of September for 16 counties: Dublin, Louth, Meath, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Westmeath, Carlow, Wicklow, Wexford, Waterford, Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary.

During the national ban, some people contacted Irish Water about others they believed flouted the ban.

FOI sleuth and Dublin Institute of Technology lecturer Ken Foxe reports…

Yikes.

Was it from Lidl?

Previously: Selling Like Hot Tubs

Water Rats

Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy

Sarah Bardon, in The Irish Times, reports:

Irish Water is to be separated from Ervia and established as a single national utility to operate the State’s water services.

The proposals, which were presented to Cabinet by Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy last Thursday for approval, will come into effect by 2023, The Irish Times has learned.

It is understood the plans, approved by Cabinet, will allow for Irish Water to become solely responsible for the production, distribution and monitoring of drinking water and for the provision of public waste-water services.

Currently the utility has service level agreements (SLAs) with local authorities to operate such services on its behalf, but under these new proposals such arrangements would be brought to an end by 2021.

Irish Water to become single national utility (The Irish Times)

Yesterday.

Blessington Lakes reservoir, County Wicklow

Dominic Price tweetz:

Panorama of Blessington Lakes – lots of water in Blessington, rivers flowing too – levels lower but not that serious. Capacity, lack of planning by politicians & leaks, leaks, leaks the problem….

But, but, but what if it never rains again?

FIGHT!

UPDATE:

We’re saved!

County Offally this afternoon.

Rollingnews

UPDATE:

Privatise this!

This afternoon.

Curragh Plains, County Kildare.

Rollingnews

‘Report a Leak’ message Irish Water this Summer: Lawyer and activist Emma Kennedy

So.

Hose to blame?

Lawyer and activist Emma Kennedy, who opposes the Shannon-Dublin water pipeway, writes:

One thing is clear: this isn’t about a lack of water.

Every day Irish Water puts twice as much water into the system as is actually needed – because more water is wasted through leaks than is used by all the households and industry in Ireland put together.

…Far more water is lost through network leakage (Irish Water’s responsibility) than by households, yet the narrative has seen the finger of blame pointing fairly definitively towards the householder.

The implication is of excessive use, of waste. This is misplaced.

People in Ireland use considerably less water per head than the European average. The latest First Fix report shows that once householders are notified about leaks on their properties their response is outstanding

Irish Water has repaired 8 per cent of the leaks identified; householders themselves have repaired 36 per cent, despite no financial incentive to do so.

Household leakage was cut by almost 40 million litres in just two years: the target was 11 million in 39 years. Householders didn’t just meet their leakage target: they smashed it.

In stark contrast, Irish Water is nowhere near meeting its own target. Between 2011 and 2021 it was meant to reduce network leakage from 205 to 166 million litres.

Two-thirds of the way through that window, network leakage is now higher than it was in the first place at 207 million litres.

There you go now.

Mains supply awash with leaks behind Dublin water ‘shortage’ (Emma Kennedy, Irish Times)