Carey Query over water treatment plant

CLARE Fine Gael TD Joe Carey has this week questioned Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley, on problems with the new €9.8 million water treatment plant in Ennis.
The deputy highlighted recent issues with the water supply and the fact that fire tenders had to be brought in to maintain the supply.
Calling this practice “unsustainable”, Deputy Carey reiterated his view that the Ennis Water Augmentation Scheme must now be prioritised.
In his reply, Minister Gormley acknowledged that he was aware of issues relating to the new water treatment plant. He committed to works to connect the Ennis supply to the Castlelake/ Shannon supply and other main rehabilitation works in 2011/ 2012.
Deputy Carey said that the people of Ennis now know that at least Minister Gormley has been made aware of the problems associated with the new Ennis water treatment plant. “His reply though, indicates that the minister and his department are only interested in sticking plasters and not in the delivery of a fully reliable water supply for Ennis and its environs. For some time now, I have been calling for the full implementation of the Ennis Water Augmentation Scheme and it is disappointing that Minister Gormley is again ignoring these calls. Every aspect of that scheme needs to be developed in order to provide a real true alternative system for the population reliant on it,” he commented.
He welcomed the fact that Clare County Council proposes to connect the Ennis water supply to the Castlelake/Shannon water supply but added that merely connecting the two supplies without investing in all other elements of the Ennis Water Augmentation Scheme will have limited impact.
“The true benefits of having an alternative water supply for Ennis and its environs will only be realised when improved extraction capability at Castlelake is developed, along with a new pumping station in Clareabbey, provision of a new reservoir at Edenvale and all the additional pipe work.
“Simply put, we need to be drawing more water from the new source at Castlelake and we then need to be in a position to feed it around the system faster. The town of Ennis and its environs, including Barefield, Clarecastle, Doora and Crusheen, can no longer depend on a single water source. The 30,000 consumers of the Ennis Water supply have had to tolerate many interruptions in supply for nearly six years with boil notice after boil notice.
All aspects of the Ennis Water Augmentation Scheme need to be prioritised and delivered.
This scheme will provide an alternative option, a plan B for the local authority with a new water source for Ennis,” Deputy Carey stated.