Nenagh prioritised in housing drive

Nenagh has been identified by Uisce Éireann as a ‘priority location’ for investment aimed at unlocking capacity for new housing.

The Government has approved a €2 billion investment programme for the state water utility to focus specifically on locations where significant housing development is planned. Uisce Éireann has identified 72 cities, towns and villages as priority locations for this investment.

Nenagh – along with Thurles and Clonmel – is among the 32 key towns listed.

This welcome development comes against a backdrop of rising frustration with the utility after another boil water notice – the third this year – was issued last week for customers using the Newport Public Water Supply. Around 8,000 customers are impacted in and around Newport, Ballina, Birdhill, Ballinahinch and Killoscully.

‘greatest benefit for communities’

Announced as part of the National Development Plan, the €2 billion investment programme is intended to “help unlock housing, support sustainable development and deliver the greatest benefit for communities”.

“By sharing this information with local authorities, housing and planning bodies, and industry stakeholders, we are helping to provide greater certainty around where strategic water and wastewater investment can support housing and growing communities,” Uisce Éireann said in a statement last week.

The programme includes a €300 million allocation to support housing and development in rural communities. “This funding will help towns and villages realise their development potential by providing the water and wastewater capacity needed to support new homes, local economies and growing communities across rural Ireland.”

While no specific projects or timelines for delivery were mentioned, communities in rural locations like Cloughjordan, Silvermines, Dromineer and Ballycommon will be hoping that the investment leads to longstanding water and wastewater issues being dealt with at last.

"Water and wastewater services are essential to every community,” said Sean Laffey, Asset Management and Sustainability Director, Uisce Éireann. “They support homes, schools, businesses and the services people rely on every day.”

He said the €2 billion investment would help create the capacity needed to “support new homes and enable communities across Ireland to grow and thrive… the initial focus on 72 cities, towns and villages, alongside dedicated investment in rural communities, will create the capacity needed to support new homes, enable economic growth and help communities across Ireland reach their full potential."

‘DISAPPOINTING AND DISRUPTIVE’

Customers using the Newport public water supply will meanwhile be hoping for resolution of ongoing problems with the local treatment plant after Uisce Éireann issued them with a third boil water notice of 2026. Issued last Friday, the notice follows disruption to water supply earlier in the week, which is understood to have been necessary for the repair of a leakage. Tankers with replacement supply were made available at two locations in the town of Newport.

“Our team at Uisce Éireann knows this will be disappointing and disruptive for households in the residential area but we want to reassure customers that we are working as quickly as possible to restore normal water quality,” Uisce Éireann stated on the matter.

“Following consultation with the Health Service Executive (HSE), the notice has been put in place to protect public health due to a deterioration in raw water quality, which has impacted treatment at the plant.”

Uisce Éireann drinking water experts were working to lift the notice as quickly and safely as possible.

"We know how important a safe and reliable water supply is to everyday life and we understand the inconvenience this notice will cause for our customers in the residential area,” said Pierce Faherty, Water Operations Manager with Uisce Éireann. "Our teams are on the ground doing everything possible to resolve the issue and restore normal water quality as quickly as possible. We would like to thank the community for their patience and cooperation while this notice is in place.”

Uisce Éireann's drinking water standards are among the strictest in Europe and include significant safety margins.