Vacant buildings contributed to water shortages says councillor

A NORTH Clare councillor has called for legislation to be introduced compelling property owners to turn off the water entering their premises when the building is not in use. Councillor Martin Conway made the call after recent, prolonged problems with the water supply to homes and businesses across North Clare caused by freezing conditions and subsequent leaks.
“70% of the houses in the town and surroundings of Lahinch are holiday homes. Had the water been turned off in these houses, hotels and other businesses that are not open for the winter, it would have reduced dramatically, the impact of the last week on residents in the area,” the Fine Gael councillor told The Clare Champion.
According to Councillor Conway, a large number of holiday homes in North Clare were damaged due to flooding caused by burst pipes. While this caused difficulties for the property owners, such leaks also put pressure on the water supply and led to shortages and restrictions for local residents. 
“If people are not using their holiday homes for some months of the year, it should be a requirement that they turn off the water and check the taps, especially if they don’t have anyone checking the property regularly in their absence. The difficulty that Lahinch experienced in the past week would have been reduced if the water had been turned off in these holiday homes in that there would have been no water going into them and the pipes wouldn’t have burst,” Councillor Conway commented.
“This sort of requirement can be brought in as part of legislation. There is a database of properties as a result of the second-home levy. The information is available in terms of holiday homes and commercial properties that are vacant. The information is there and we have to look at a system where turning off the water is a requirement and, if it is not complied with that people would have to pay for the damage that is caused and the water that is wasted overall,” he continued.
While he praised the reaction of the council to the water crisis, Councillor Conay acknowledged it was not perfect.
“A lot of lessons have to be learned. Clare County Council’s water services and fire services divisions did fantastic work almost around the clock, trying to resolve the issue but perhaps the communication could have been better between the council and the public. The council did update its website but not as frequently as I think it should have especially since people nationally were being driven to check their local authority’s website. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but explaining the workings of the situation to people, that didn’t happen to the degree it should have. In terms of the post-mortem, these deficiencies will have to be recognised and contingency plans put in place so that it doesn’t arise again in the future. Lessons need to be learned but it must be recognised that the work of the fire and water divisions reached heroic levels over the Christmas,” Councillor Conway concluded.