Leitrim residents being 'left in limbo' by Uisce Éireann, Dáil hears

Only five out of 100 housing estates that have been taken in charge by Leitrim County Council have had their water infrastructure taken over by Uisce Éireann, Leitrim TD Frank Feighan said in the Dáil recently, adding that residents are being ‘left in limbo’ .

A number of these estates are in an unfinished state, he noted.

Mr Feighan stated: "I compliment the planning department of the local authority on working with developers in some cases and, in many others, on its own, albeit with the support of the Department of housing.

"Despite the best efforts of the council, there seems to be an unwillingness by Uisce Éireann to play its part.

"Meanwhile, many residents in these housing estates have been left in limbo.

"Local authorities are becoming more and more frustrated, as they no longer have their own water and wastewater sections.

"Will the Government review this situation and ask Uisce Éireann to step up to the plate and work with local authorities in taking housing estates in charge?” asked Deputy Feighan.

Taoiseach Michael Martin responded that he took the "Deputy's point" adding, "We need to review the interaction between Uisce Éireann and local authorities.

"While I understand on one level Uisce Éireann's focus on large conurbations, the bottom line is that the entire country needs to be serviced as well.

"That is part of the remit that local authorities, prior to the formation of Uisce Éireann, had and initiated.

"We have to examine the entire area again,” said Mr Martin.

Price of sewerage and water connections is "the issue"

Previously, Cllr Paddy O'Rourke had said at a meeting in Carrick-on-Shannon that the "biggest single impediment to building houses in Leitrim is the behaviour of Irish Water".

He continued that the "price of sewerage and water connections" was the issue in his view and that "a few large contractors have a monopoly and are not compelled to compete for work. One family here in Leitrim has an estimate of €150,000 to connect their home to the network."
Referring to legislation that the management of urban wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure being transferred from local authorities to Irish Water in 2014, he said it "was slipped in in April 2014 when everybody's attention was on local or European elections."

He spoke of another Leitrim case where "a contractor gave an estimate- it was only a few metres to connect to a sewer- of €24,000 and he couldn't award it to him because he wasn't on the so-called list and those who were on the list charged him €80,000."

Cllr Enda McGloin said: "In Drumshanbo, we're trying to open the second food hub on the Dowra Road and they are very anxious to move in and have their equipment ready to go. We are waiting on a water connection and despite the fact there is already water in it, they wanted €35,000. Then they asked for a sample of the current outflow from the company which is trading beside the distillery in the first food hub. They want two or three weeks of samples. The first food hub has been there for the last 15 years and has caused no problems."
Cllr McGloin said they are "humming and hawing and coming back and forth and it's hugely vexing for the water company to act like this and it's been brought to the attention of the Minister for Enterprise."

Uisce Éireann said it implemented an enduring Connection Charging Policy in January 2019.