All 15 city councillors must come together and lobby the Galway City Council to secure the best deal for the replacing the lead pipes in Old Mervue.
This is the view of Independent Cllr Declan McDonnell, who said that a show of unity and purpose from councillors can help “alleviate the hardship and unnecessary costs forced on the people of Mervue” due to the contamination of their drinking water by the old lead pipe system.
He said this must be done in a “cohesive atmosphere” without having the councillors “scoring political points”.
“We have to work with the residents’ associations and the community in getting the best value for the people of Mervue,” said Cllr McDonnell. “If this means sitting down with contractors and hammering out a cost-effective measure for bringing the water from the mains to the tap then let’s do it.”
According to Cllr McDonnell the city council has received legal opinion on who is responsible for getting the lead pipes replaced from the stopcock. The Mervue based councillor now wants a copy of this advice made available to the residents’ associations.
Cllr McDonnell is also calling on city council officials to continue working with Department of the Environment officials to secure additional funding under the Essential Repairs Grants scheme to enable “at least the elderly living in the community to replace their lead pipes”.
“Who in God’s name can survive on four bottles of water per week?” asked Cllr McDonnell. “We need action, not words.”
