Frustration over water outages in Newport

Uisce Éireann endeavouring to replace ageing main

Newport residents have voiced their frustration over a frequently bursting water main that has left them without water on multiple occasions.

The residents of Foxhall reckon that there have been at least 35 breakages of the pipe on their road in the last 20 years. The ageing water main - believed to be around 50 years old - has become increasingly prone to bursting with most of the outages occurring in the last eight years.

One of the most recent occurrences involved three breakdowns on a single bank holiday weekend. One of the residents told of how his family was trying to prepare for a First Holy Communion celebration at the time. A farmer was trying to milk cows when the water suddenly went again.

There are 55 households and 10 farms served by the pipe, which runs along the L6003 outside Newport. As well as regular outages - during which they have been sometimes without water for three days while waiting for the pipe to be fixed - residents say they face ongoing low pressure from their taps. Farmers face serious animal welfare risks, with no reliable water supply and insufficient pressure to operate essential systems.

Residents and farmers have had to purchase or transport water in tankers multiple times due to extended outages. The volume of water lost due to leaks is reportedly substantial.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

Through a Freedom of Information request, the Foxhall residents found that 17 repairs were carried out on their main between 2022 - when Uisce Éireann took over water maintenance responsibilities from Tipperary Co Council - and March of this year. Community accounts and road scarring suggest at least 18 additional repairs between 2006 and 2022, indicating a worsening trend of breakages over time.

The residents also learned that water pressure reduced to 0.5 bar - from 3bar in 2006 - in order to reduce strain on the deteriorating pipe.

The Freedom of Information request also revealed that €26,736 (excluding VAT) was spent by Uisce Éireann on repairs. Surely, the residents argue, the pipe could have been replaced by now with the amount of money spent on repairs.

Moreover, the residents are very concerned about the asbestos composition of the pipe and the impact it could have on their health. They spoke of their frustration at trying to contact Uisce Éireann about the situation and having to deal with a call centre that appeared to be based in another country and operated by people who could not effectively communicate with them.

The Foxhall residents said it seemed that public representatives had little better success. They called for an immediate full replacement of the damaged 1km pipe to restore water security and prevent further economic, environmental, and health-related consequences.

FUNDING AVAILABILITY

Local councillor Fiona Bonfield recently received a formal response from Uisce Éireann to a query on the matter that she made.

“Uisce Eireann plan to advance designs for the replacement of watermains in Foxhall this year but it is likely to be 2026 before construction proceeds,” Cllr Bonfield was told.

In a statement to this newspaper, Uisce Éireann apologised to the local community for the disruption and cited funding shortcomings in its efforts to tackle the ageing infrastructure that it now has responsibility for. It said funding for replacement of the Foxhall main has yet to be approved.

“Uisce Éireann acknowledge the need to upgrade the water network infrastructure in the Foxhall area of Newport. Outages have been occurring as a result of bursts on a section of water main in the area, and we recognise the impact of this on the local community and apologise for the disruption during outages.

“The building, repair and upgrading of Uisce Éireann’s water treatment plants, wastewater treatment plants, water and sewer network will require a multi-billion euro investment programme and sustained levels of funding over many years and investment cycles to address all legacy issues.

“We have invested over €134 million in Tipperary in the past decade and will continue to invest across the county. Watermain rehabilitation projects are considered for funding based on national prioritisation and available funding.

“At present there is a proposal to replace a section of approx 1.6km of water main that has been the subject of bursts causing outages in this area. While this proposal has not yet progressed to funding approval, it will be considered as part of our ongoing review of all projects to be prioritised for design and construction in Tipperary.

“The recent burst frequency on this section of water main will be taken into account as part of this review and assessment.”