Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this most important issue. We have no records that Coleridge's ancient mariner ever made it as far as Ennis, but the refrain, "Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink", certainly gets one thinking.

Some 30,000 people are dependent on the Ennis water supply, which services Ennis, Clarecastle, Barefield, Crusheen, Doora, Drumcliff and Spancilhill. Since July 2005, these 30,000 people have had to deal with boil notice after boil notice on their water supply due to the presence of cryptosporidium. The spring at Drumcliff from which the Ennis water supply is drawn remains volatile, due to its limestone karstic base, and is considered highly susceptible to cryptosporidium.

Almost three years ago, in July 2005, the first reported outbreak of cryptosporidium in the Ennis water supply came about, yet it took a full 13 months before an interim treatment plant was commissioned to filter the water. Ennis has also fared quiet poorly in comparison to Galway.

In Galway, a water voucher scheme was established within weeks of the first outbreak of cryptosporidium and rate payers also received a rate rebate. None of these measures was introduced in Ennis and residents and business people alike are very angry as a result.

Since the provision of the temporary water filtration plant, five or six full boil notices have been placed on the Ennis water supply. Since July 2005, the HSE, together with the local authority, has placed a partial boil notice on the water, which advises water be boiled before consumption by the immuno-compromised, infants and pre-school children.

Given these circumstances, confidence in the Ennis water supply is at a very low level. Last Sunday, that confidence was almost sunk when residents were informed that they should conserve water, as the quantity of treated water passing through the interim treatment plant was not sufficient to meet demands because of heavy rainfall. I understand that following consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency and the HSE, Clare County Council later decided to partially bypass the filtration system with a view to increasing the quantity of water that could be dispatched to consumers.

This move was designed to replenish the storage levels in reservoirs, restore supply to all consumers and ensure that critical areas such as the fire service and hospitals such as Ennis General and St. Joseph's hospital had an adequate volume of water. To think that a town's water supply was put out of action because of heavy rainfall is both ironic and tragic.

This latest problem with the Ennis water supply highlights the fact that we now urgently need an alternative water supply not just to address the water quality issue, but also the water quantity issue. This evening, I propose a solution to the daily problems which residents encounter, such as having to boil or buy water to brush teeth, wash vegetables or simply drink a clean fresh glass of water. Significant water pressure problems also exist throughout parts of Ennis, Clarecastle and Doora, which prevent people from washing and taking showers when they want.

I ask the Minister of State to fast-track the delivery of the Ennis water augmentation scheme. This scheme will provide Ennis with a new water supply which will be a plan B. It will be a source of water free of cryptosporidium and which will address our water quantity issues.

The scheme up to now has been looked upon as a long-term project. It is clear Ennis needs access to an alternative water supply as soon as possible. I ask the Minister and Department to engage directly with the local authorities in Ennis to drive the speedy delivery of this vital scheme.

The outstanding elements of the Ennis water augmentation scheme consist of the following elements. A new pumping station a Clareabbey must be built, a new reservoir at Edenvale must be constructed and extraction capacity at Castle Lake must be increased. The remaining piping work, which has been laid along the Newmarket-on-Fergus bypass and new Ennis bypass, must be completed.

As an immediate action, I am asking that a simple pump and less than a kilometre of piping be provided from Carnelly to Kerins Cross in Clarecastle, as this work would access the Castle Lake water supply and provide a solution to the water shortages in Clarecastle and Doora, taking pressure off the Ennis town supply. I have proposed this measure several times in the past in the chamber of Clare County Council; it makes common sense and must happen as soon as possible.

I am appealing to the Minister on behalf of the 30,000 people who are dependent on the Ennis water supply. I am looking for a commitment that the Minister will ensure that the Ennis water augmentation scheme is prioritised. This scheme will solve the daily intolerable problems relating to our water.

I ask the Minister to take a hands-on approach to this issue because if he does not, our problems will only worsen. Water is a basic right and we live in a First World economy. The people of Ennis, Clarecastle, Barefield, Doora and Crusheen are depending on the Minister to provide that basic right of clean fresh drinking water with proper pressure and service.

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