Uisce Eireann is to invest €20M to provide a different water source to Clonmel town after the business community last year forced the company to devise a plan to address ongoing outages.
The company held a briefing yesterday with members of the County Tipperary Chamber.
The solution includes upgrades to the Water Treatment Plant in Monroe, improvements to a pumping station and 15 km of new piping.
The system will see the end of the Poulavanogue supply source and the North Clonmel Reservoir be used to hold a full day’s water supply which may prevent outages if there is a burst pipe somewhere in the network.
An old reservoir less than 500m from the pipeline is not suitable to bring into use even if leaks could be repaired according to the company and the water supply will be a “hard” water.
Uisce Eireann says it cannot afford to soften the water before distribution and that this cost must be borne by households and businesses.
Richie Gleeson, a business owner in the town,stressed the need to notify all customers of the change from “soft” to “hard” water in good time as property owners will need to install their own system to soften the water to prevent the build up of deposits on piping and heating elements.
Michelle Alyward, CEO of Tipperary Chamber, indicated that the Chamber will lobby the Government for a funding package to support business operators with costs associated with water softening systems.
The work is to start in mid September and will take 18 months. The company says traffic will be managed both day and night to ensure two way flow as the new pipes are laid on the Fethard road.
The company will also have a contact person on the ground available to assist customers affected by the project.
Uisce Eireann’s longer term plan for Clonmel, over a 10 to 15 year period, is that water will be extracted from the River Suir to supply the town.
