I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment and I also thank very sincerely the Minister of State for his attendance here tonight. I know he had another commitment this evening and I am sorry that I had to take him from it. Had I know that the House would be sitting so late, I would have left this matter over until some other time. However, I will be very brief.
The grave and urgent need for proper and clean water supplies, both for domestic and agricultural use in the north Meath area, has long been recognised by both Meath County Council and the Department of the Environment. When I was elected to Meath County Council in 1967 I put on record as a major priority that a scheme be implemented to provide the supply to cater for the needs of the Kells-Oldcastle area. It was mutually agreed among all the councillors for that area that the best source of supply would be from Lough Bane, or Lough Bawn as we call it down there, which is situated on the Meath-Westmeath border. From 1967, slow but steady progress was made in the implementation of a proper scheme to cater for the needs of the north Meath area. After much to-ing and fro-ing — and, indeed, the holding of a public inquiry to determine the capacity of the supply from the source in Lough Bane — it was agreed that the entire area would, in fact, be best served from that source of supply.
When I was elected to the Dáil in 1982 I immediately pursued this matter and I was delighted to have that scheme sanctioned. Since that time, the supply to the town of Kells has been completed and it is now working satisfactorily, much to the delight of the people there. The water has been privately tested by one doctor and it is regarded as probably the best source of supply of fresh water in Ireland today.
I am concerned that stage two of this scheme might be delayed unduly. Consultants have prepared contract documents and I understand these were submitted to the Minister's Department some time in mid-July. Officials and staff of Meath County Council liaised with the consultants in the preparation of these documents. All the head works at Lough Bane for the Oldcastle scheme are completed and we now require a pipeline to serve Oldcastle, with storage reservoirs at Crossakeel and Oldcastle. The next stage is to advertise for tender and my request here this evening is to pursue this matter vigorously with a view to having this scheme implemented in early 1986.
The present supply to Oldcastle comes from Lough Creevagh, which is situated in the Knocklough area of the Lough Crew hills. It is a very small lake which tends to go dry in the summertime, at which stage we usually find ourselves with very low pressure and many times, indeed, with no water at all. The old piping in this scheme is cracked, broken and corroded and, indeed, one can read factual reports in local newspapers of wriggly things and worms coming through the taps. It is almost impossible to maintain a proper pressure from the existing supply. The fire fighting units of Meath County Council are very perturbed. With the continued development of the Oldcastle area and the extra number of houses being built there this supply could now be regarded as totally inadequate and obsolete. In the interests of the health of the community and to help further development in this area, it is imperative that stage two which is the provision of a supply to Oldcastle, should commence without any further delay. I appeal to the Minister to use his influence to have the scheme advertised for tender immediately.
The Minister came down to Oldcastle when he was Minister of State in 1981 and opened a lovely fire station there. At that time I reminded him that I hoped he would be a Minister, when I would be coming back to him to help us out with a few other problems we had in north County Meath. I am glad that the relationship that started at that time has existed since and I am sure it will blossom even further after I get a reply from the Minister tonight. I am now asking the Minister to fulfil the promise he made at that time.