I welcome the commitment made to me by Irish Water to deal with the worrying increase in water outages affecting East Meath, in particular the Duleek and South Drogheda areas.
Following extensive lobbying on my part of Irish Water, I am pleased to be told by the National Utility that works are planned to commence next month. Significant works are proposed, including the replacement of approximately 2,900 meters of the existing 300mm AC trunk main. The trunk watermain extends from the service reservoir at Staleen to Duleek Business Park.
The recurring water outages in the Duleek & South Drogheda area have become a serious and worrying burden on local residents and businesses particularly over the last year or so. Reliable access to water is a basic necessity for everyone and the ongoing issues are causing considerable frustration and concern amongst local people. It is particularly difficult for our Senior Citizens.
I have repeatedly raised this issue both at Council level and with Irish Water on behalf of South Drogheda and East Meath residents so I am happy that we will soon see progress. I am asking Meath County Council to seek assurances that the work will be carried out as a matter of urgency.
The Plan by Uisce Eireann to upgrade 8Km of faulty trunk watermain between Staleen Water Treatment Plant and Duleek to address the frequent supply issues in East Meath needs to be delivered urgently. We also need to see what plans there are to cover supply during disruptions during the works.
I will continue to highlight this matter so that appropriate action is taken to ensure a safe and reliable water supply for East Meath residents.