Green Party TD for Carlow/Kilkenny Mary White has praised the manner in which Kilkenny County Council has been dealing with the current water supply shortages as a result of burst mains and pipes.
The Minister of State for Equality, Integration, and Human Rights said that the recent freezing conditions have caused many water problems for Kilkenny’s residents and businesses.
“The demand for water has increased hugely due to burst mains, individual service pipe leaks, and attic tank problems as well as people leaving their taps running,” she said. “There have been an extensive range of bursts across the county and city of Kilkenny. Many houses around the county were without water over the Christmas period as temperatures continued to drop well below freezing.”
Minister White added that a large number of minor pipe breaks in Kilkenny City have being repaired and she acknowledged that there are ongoing efforts to identify and repair leaks.
“Low pressure in the network is resulting in no water for some of the high areas of the city and one of the largest leaks occurred on Patrick Street on St Stephen’s Day and, had it not been quickly attended to, the whole of the city centre would be without water. Other major leaks that have been identified and fixed were in Graiguenamanagh, two in Ballyragget, and a major leak on Bridge Street in Callan. The Outrath reservoir ran out of water of December 27 and the council are now shipping water in tankers to help refill the reservoir.”
Minister White commended Kilkenny City Borough staff and housing crews, along with the civil defence, fire service personnel, and volunteers, who she said have been working throughout the county over the Christmas period in an attempt to restore water supply to normal levels. The council has had four crews on call full time repairing the burst water mains.
She also called on the general public to use water sparingly.
“It is essential that during the current water service problems all persons conserve water as much as possible in order to lessen the duration of the water restrictions,” she said. “Kilkenny County Council has requested that all key holders of commercial premises and vacant properties check for leaks. To avoid frozen pipes in your home, make sure to open your attic trap door to allow heat into the attic, and wrap any outside taps and stopcocks in some insulation (a towel/old mat ).
“Kilkenny County Council has been working around the clock to reinstate normal water supplies. Fingers crossed that this can be achieved in the near future.”
