Water appeal as demand remains 16% above normal

KERRY County Council’s water services director Oliver Ring yesterday appealed to people to conserve water and to check unoccupied domestic, agricultural and commercial premises for leaks.

He made the appeal following widespread breakdowns during the icy spell and as demands on public water supplies in Kerry continued to run at 16% above normal levels.

During the freezing weather, cuts were imposed on several supplies, including in Tralee and Listowel, and many reservoirs were depleted due to leaks or to taps being left to run overnight.

“While this situation has stabilised, water is still being produced at levels in excess of normal consumption,” said Mr Ring.

Normal consumption in Kerry is 14 million gallons daily, but that peaked at more than 19 million during the Christmas period. Current consumption is 16.3 million gallons.

Councillors paid tribute to the staff for the manner in which they dealt with the water crisis. Repair crews attended more than 500 leaks. Most staff members worked from December 23 to January 3, often late at night and in sub-zero conditions.

In a detailed report, the water services department said there was no significant increase in bursts and leaks on the public mains.

However, there were significant leaks on service pipes linking households and business premises to the mains.

This year, council management is to have an awareness campaign to better inform people on how to prepare for frosty weather.

It was explained that customers are responsible for the pipe leading from the stopcock to their homes and for what happens on their premises.

Independent Alliance councillor Michael Gleeson said the staff worked “heroically” in difficult conditions. He called for a huge effort to inform people in relation to water services and how to avoid problems.

Fine Gael’s Jim Finucane warned against a proposal to nationalise control of water services through the establishment of a utility company.

He said the nationalisation of salt supplies for spreading on roads was not working successfully and he feared the same would happen if similar attempts were made in relation to water.

“When we do something well, why don’t they enhance it rather than trying to replace it with another quango or utility company?” Mr Finucane said.

County manager Tom Curran, who was strongly critical of the failure to provide sufficient salt for Kerry’s roads, also voiced concerns about nationalising another service.

“While there might be advantages in economies of scale, you start losing commitment and local knowledge. Without local support on the ground, it will not work,” he warned.