Residents in Old Mervue face a three week wait before the council obtains the final reports on the feasibility of installing water filters in houses to remove the lead contamination from the water supply.
As surveying work begins in Old Mervue to ready the area for the replacement of the old lead pipe network, a public demonstration demanding water filters has today been cancelled.
The issue of water filtration has become increasingly contentious with a number of councillors, led by Terry O’Flaherty, pressing for the installation of the devices in more than 200 homes in Mervue.
Cllr O’Flaherty along with Cllr Brian Walsh and Cllr Declan McDonnell wants to see each house receive a €350 grant which will then be used to install a filter.
The Galway City Council however is pressing ahead with a long term solution of replacing the pipes. This work could take up to two years.
However the works will not see pipes replaced in private households The council is only responsible for the removal of lead pipes up to the stopcock that enters a property.
A number of councillors are also pushing for the council to press the Department of Environment and Local Government for funding to replace the lead piping on private properties.
To connect safely to the houses will require major plumbing work and significant costs. As a result Cllr Walsh, supported by Cllr O’Flaherty and Cllr McDonnell, will propose at the next council meeting that City Hall seek Government grants to ensure people’s houses can be connected to the new pipe.
“We will be asking the council to seek additional funding under the Housing Assist Scheme for the Elderly and the Essential Repairs Grant,” Cllr Walsh told Galway First, “to ensure that the connections to the new pipe can take place and provide Old Mervue with clean water.”
Such a move would create a dangerous precedent for the Government, as well as county councils nationwide. A council source suggested that such a move would be unlikely to go ahead at such a difficult time for the economy.
But December 15 is the new D-Day for Old Mervue’s residents. If the Atkins report, as well as the recommendations for the HSE and EPA on water filtration devices to remove the lead, are favourable, the city manager has promised he will give it due consideration.
Cllr O’Flaherty reiterated her support last week. “This is the best solution as far as I’m concerned. Right now it’s an intolerable situation for the people in Old Mervue.”
