Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I imagine that the direction in which I intend to go will not come as complete shock. Water quality has been a huge issue in Dundalk for a considerable amount of time and in the mid- to north-Louth area in particular. It is fair to say that people have even to a degree gotten used to having brown water. I was in a chip shop the other day and somebody asked me if I wanted tap water or bottled water. I said tap water, and everybody laughed and assumed that I was not being serious. They just did not consider how mean I am. It is a considerable issue.

I will ask Mr. Gleeson for his opinion on the CRU investigation specifically on Cavanhill treatment plant. In 2020, there were breaches in manganese levels, but there was a huge issue in communications and in making the information public. This also happened later in June 2021, but the fact is that every year for the last number of years, Irish Water has spoken about flushing programmes and has said that the problem would be dealt with. It went from iron oxide to manganese. I accept from my engagement with Irish Water that the flushing was not being done as comprehensively as it is being done now. I want to check that we are now having more comprehensive flushing for those hard-to-get areas that it had not been possible to access. I have seen a number of teams that have been out in order to do this work.

Over the summer I, along with various elected representatives, tried to make contact with Irish Water, as, even, did LMFM, the local radio station. We were given the date of 14 September as the end of this flushing process. I did not believe it to be the case that that would be the end of it. Irish Water’s own press releases had listed Blackrock initially, parts of Dromiskin and later Dundalk. In Dundalk, Irish Water named the number of the estates, such as the estate I live in myself, Bay Estate, as well as St. Alphonsus Road, Muirhevanmore, and the areas around me. I was also constantly and consistently getting pictures and videos of brown water from other areas of Dundalk. I am speaking about the likes of O’Hanlon Park, Marian Park and the north end of Dundalk. I never saw any of those places on the list. I accept that when there is a plan that other things can get in the way. The date of 14 September could have been pushed back anyway. However, I find it hard to believe that the date of 14 September could have ever been the end date. I am still getting photographs and videos of brown water. The situation has not been completely resolved.

I am looking for a timeline. I accept that there will be a short-term fix for some of this, but can we get a timeline on when that will be done? I was told, and I want to get clarity on this, that a flushing team is now dealing with this piece of work and that it will continually be doing this. Some of this will not be resolved until the pipe work is completed as regards the iron oxide. I understand that there is a specific problem with manganese. Could Irish Water answer all that?