Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 31 May 2001

Vol. 537 No. 4

Adjournment Debate. - Drumconrath (Meath) Water Supply.

Mr. Farrelly

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for allowing me to raise this important matter on the Adjournment and welcome the fact that the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, who also represents the constituency concerned, is here to reply.

Over the past six weeks a serious problem has arisen with the water supply in Drumconrath, County Meath, due to algae on the lake. This lake supplies some 900 households, including farms. Many of the extensions to the scheme provided by the local authority to the village of Drumconrath took place through local involvement in group schemes on the outskirts of the village and this water supply is availed of by people, some of whom live as far away as Nobber and a substantial way along the Carrickmacross road and other roads out of the village.

The council has had this problem for the past six weeks and has tried to no avail to sort it out. A month or five weeks have passed and while the supply is deemed okay for drinking, were it not for the increased fluoridation I do not think this would be the case. That said, I believe that because the supply is coming mainly from a stagnant lake, where there is no through-flow of water, there is a need to find a new supply.

When I raised this matter on Monday at the county council meeting, I was informed that the local authority was in the process of starting to look for an alternative ground water supply. It will probably take more than one or two of these boreholes to solve the problem. I have also been informed that it will cost well in excess of £100,000.

The local authority has a small schemes' programme and has money in that particular kitty, but I am afraid that other schemes, for which that money has been earmarked in 2001, will be put on the backburner because the money is required immediately for the improvement of this scheme. I am asking, therefore, that the Minister, who I know has been in contact with the local authority on the matter, should inform me today that moneys will be made available by the local authority, if and when required, so that no stone will be left unturned to ensure the improvement of the supply and that money will not be an obstacle.

I am also informed that if there is the possibility of providing a system of new filters, they would come at an enormous cost, and that there is no guarantee such improvement of the filters will actually solve the problem. I believe that the real solution to the problem lies in finding new sources and ensuring that his Department makes money available to the local authority, if and when required, to pay for the necessary improvements.

As our colleague stated this week, the water is worse in colour than any dose ever given to cattle years ago or even nowadays. People continue to inform me through my constituency office on a daily basis that the smell of the water is unbelievable and outrageous. No doubt the Minister will give some comfort to the people dependent on this supply. The fact that it is in our own constituency should make it that much easier to do.

Mr. Dempsey

I thought when we lost Deputy John Bruton as leader of the Fine Gael Party that perhaps the new leader would not give as much attention to matters in Meath but I was delighted to see him as concerned about this as Deputy Farrelly obviously is. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter which is a cause of grave concern to the people of Drumconrath and a wide region around that village.

As the Deputy will be aware, the source of the Drumconrath water supply is Lough Bracken, which is situated about one mile from the village. The treatment system, which is near the in-take from the lake, consists of filtration, disinfection with chlorine, and fluoridation. The treatment plant produces 850 cubic meters – approximately 187,000 gallons – of water per day, serving a population of nearly 1,000, which is slightly larger than Deputy Farrelly stated.

In February last, the lake was affected by an algal bloom. This is a rare occurrence and at the time the cause was not determined. It is, however, generally associated with certain weather conditions combined with nutrient levels in the lake water. The emergency treatment for this condition is the use of barley straw, which kills off the algae. This treatment was applied in this case and the algal problem was eliminated.

However, the residue of the algae is still in the lake and the filtration system is unable to deal effectively with this residue, resulting in an unpleasant taste and colour. It is important to state that the results of regular monitoring by Meath County Council and the health board did not deem the treated water unfit for human consumption. Nevertheless, I understand that Meath County Council began providing tankered water to the village early this week as a short-term solution to the problem. As Deputy Farrelly made clear, I know that, no matter what we say, when there is a smell similar to the one involved here, one will not convince people that the water is safe but it is important that we say it is safe.

The Deputy will be aware that the national development plan, which runs from 2000 to 2006, promises unprecedented investment in our water services infrastructure. Last year I announced a £2.1 billion investment programme for the period 2000 to 2002. Under this package, 28 schemes were approved for Meath costing almost £77 million.

The Water Services Investment Programme, 2000-2002, took into account the list of water and sewerage schemes submitted by Meath County Council in response to my Department's request to local authorities to undertake a fresh assessment of the needs for capital works in their areas and to prioritise their proposals. The Deputy will appreciate that no proposals regarding the water supply to Drumconrath were included in the list submitted by Meath County Council. However, the Water Services Investment Programme is a rolling programme which is sufficiently flexible to allow new schemes to be introduced as other imperatives emerge, for example, social, economic or environmental issues requiring the fast tracking of individual projects needed for particular purposes. Meath County Council, as the Deputy stated, is investigating the causes of the algal bloom but as it may prove difficult to isolate and eliminate these factors, the council is also investigating other possible sources of supply. I understand that the council will commence, today or tomorrow, the drilling of boreholes in the vicinity of the lake, to establish if alternative groundwater sources are available. The possibility of upgrading of the treatment plant to cater for these conditions will also be examined by the council.

If my Department receives any submission from the council in the context of the Water Services Investment Programme the Deputy can take it that it will be dealt with immediately it comes to hand. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter.