Plans to tackle holiday island’s water shortage

PROPOSALS which include a desalination plant are being examined to prevent a repeat of water shortages experienced last summer on a popular holiday island.

Many houses on Cape Clear were restricted to just a few hours supply during the summer because of the drain on the island’s water resources. At a meeting of Cork County Council yesterday, senior executive engineer Niall O’Mahony told public representatives that average daily water demand on the island had increased by nearly a third in the last three years and he acknowledged there had been supply difficulties over the summer, exacerbated by tourists.

He outlined his proposals to councillors after Cllr Joe Carroll (FF) said steps had to be taken to augment the supply as soon as possible, because a large number of people had been inconvenienced, especially those living on higher ground.