The water is coming from an old group water scheme from Lough Ea leaking onto a road near Tulla || Inset:Cllr Pat Hayes
A CLARE county councillor has said a long-running water leak near Tulla has remained unresolved for almost a year because responsibility for the issue has fallen between agencies, with thousands of gallons of water continuing to flow onto the road each day.
The issue was raised by Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) during a discussion on Uisce Éireann at the July meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District.
Cllr Hayes said the leak, on an old Group Water Scheme from Lough Ea, has continued for more than 10 months despite repeated efforts to have it addressed.
He said the leak was now creating a health and safety concern as water continued to flow onto the public road. “It is an ongoing issue the last year,” he said.
Describing the situation as particularly frustrating during the current hosepipe ban, Cllr Hayes added: “It is ironic we have a hosepipe ban but we have water pumping up the middle of the road.”
According to Cllr Hayes, responsibility for the leak has remained unresolved despite repeated attempts to have it repaired. He said he had repeatedly been met with the response: “While we appreciate the problem, we can’t resolve it.”
The councillor said the leak is located outside a private house, with the homeowner left dealing with the consequences of the ongoing problem.
“But we can’t leave a health and safety issue alone on a public road,” he said. “We can’t just leave the water pumping out in the middle of it.”
He estimated that thousands of gallons of water were flowing down the road every day, suggesting the water could instead be put to productive use by local farmers.
Cllr Hayes said the pipe forms part of an old Group Water Scheme, which was established in the 1950s or 1960s before public water supplies became available in the area.
Speaking to The Clare Echo following the meeting, Cllr Hayes said the scheme had served local communities for decades, but most households had since moved to private wells as public water infrastructure developed.
He said the water supply had later been deemed non-potable, meaning it was no longer considered suitable for drinking, and that the group water scheme had effectively ceased operating despite parts of the network still remaining in use.
“There are still some farmers using it here and there, but there are only a few houses that might use it for toilets and things like that,” he said. “There is no real group water scheme operating it now or manager for it.”
Cllr Hayes said the absence of an active management structure had created uncertainty over responsibility for maintaining the old infrastructure. He claimed Uisce Éireann had advised him the matter did not fall within its remit because the supply was non-potable, while Clare County Council had referred him back to Uisce Éireann. “I can get nobody to take charge of it,” he said.
“I’ve been put from pillar to post everywhere. Everybody says, ‘We’ll look at it’ and ‘We’ll do it’, but nobody resolves it.” He said the situation highlighted the difficulties faced by elected representatives trying to secure action on issues where responsibility was disputed.
“It just shows how challenging it is as a public representative trying to get answers and resolve it,” he said.
“So I am asking here today that Clare County Council find the formula to actually resolve this issue as a health and safety issue and a road safety issue, rather than just treating it as a leak in a water scheme.” Cllr Hayes concluded at the meeting.
In response, Eoin Troy, Senior Executive Officer for Killaloe MD confirmed they would “take it away” and look at potential resolutions.
