Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ar an gcéad dul síos, ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an gCeann Comhairle, an Teachta Ó Murchú for choosing my Topical Issue. I wish the Minister of State well in her new role, together with my good wishes to all of the Ministers who have been appointed, and I look forward to working constructively with them. However, there has to be a change in the practice of Ministers not coming to the Chamber to take Topical Issue debates. I met the Minister of State in the canteen and she told me that she was taking this Topical Issue. That is fine but this practice has crept in and it is unfair to Deputies. We expect to have the Ministers present to deal with issues so that they can get an understanding of them. It is not good enough, and I hope the practice changes in this Dáil.

Uisce Éireann is working on a €20 million project to move sections of Clonmel water consumers onto a different source. One might ask what is the big deal. The so-called solution includes upgrades to the water treatment plant at Monroe, improvement for a pumping station and a 15 km pipe that will see hard water, uisce crua, being brought into all parts of Clonmel. This is very hard water with lime in it. Currently, water for the whole heart of the town is coming from a Poulavanogue supply in Contae Phort Láirge, in Waterford, up the hill, which is gravity flow. It is a wonderful plant that has been working for 200 years or more. There is a reservoir at Ragwell that is lying idle now that used to provide a backup supply for the centre of the town. Uisce Éireann wants to stop all of that natural supply, which is supplying the businesses and households in the town, and to bring in water from Monroe 15 km away, which depends on a borehole and a pump. I understand that there have been two or three outages this week and that Uisce Éireann cannot explain why the well stopped. Sure, wells will stop. Anybody who has a house knows that wells will go dry and will stop in storms. Without electricity, wells are out. This new service will disconnect the gravity flow into the town. It is nothing short of insanity.

With regard to the hard water, the chamber of commerce has expressed great concerns about the cost. Remember that all of the business people in Clonmel and everywhere else pay for their water, paying quite dearly for water in and water out. They expect to have water that is not going to destroy all of their equipment, much of which is high-spec equipment in cafeterias, hotels and other such premises. The same applies to householders. Already, the people north of the bypass in Clonmel are on hard water, have significant problems and face the cost implications of having to put in softeners and replace salts. Uisce Éireann will not even entertain the idea of putting in a big softener at source. We are begging it to leave the water supply alone. Why would one cut off one's nose to spite one's face and cut off a supply that is working? It is saying that it is because of the standard of water, but it has always been of a high standard and high quality. I salute Eugene Dargan, Mr. Hartigan before him and all the other caretakers who have looked after it. It was built by hand. It is a fabulously crafted reservoir - built by the British army, I am sure - and it has stood the test of time. Now we are giving the whole town this hard water and depending on a borehole that will undoubtedly run dry, given the unexplained outages this week.

Business people have sat down with Uisce Éireann. The manager of the Clonmel Park Hotel, Richard Gleeson of Gleeson's Pub and Nuala Hickey of Hickey's Bakery, which are long-established businesses, do not want this to happen because it will wreck and cause havoc to their equipment. Who will support them? They are already struggling businesses without having this mad, so-called solution. It is not a solution. Uisce Éireann has caused major disruptions all over the town in preparatory works to bring this new supply in, what with the digging up, changing and directing. It is going to be bedlam for businesses and households. It is not acceptable to have a company like Uisce Éireann, which is answerable and accountable to nobody. That is why I wanted the Minister here today. I appeal to the Minister to bring Uisce Éireann in and to have somebody talk to it about the nonsense that is being carried on.

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