Ashbourne residents blighted by decades of water supply woes

Residents in Racehill in Ashbourne have had problems with their water supply for the past 20 years and fear there is no end in sight.

Entire families have grown up in an estate where water outages were a common occurrence for the past two decades and in some cases it is having a detrimental effect on mental health.

“I have often gotten up in the middle of the night to check if we have pressure to run the washing machine. This is disrupting my sleep and really not good for my mental health,” according to one resident.

“The constant pressure and stress we have because of this issue is now unbearable. I have lived in Racehill for the last 16 years and the problems with pressure have only gotten worse especially in the last year and particularly since May/ June 2023.”

Cllr Helen Meyer raised the issue of Racehill at last week's meeting between public representatives and the utility company.

“They have had water issues since the houses were built in 2005. Their issues have never been resolved and continue unabated since then. They feel like they are living in third world conditions. For decades they have had to buy bottled water, shower elsewhere and replace appliances on a regular basis. They are fed up,” she said.

Cllr Meyer noted it was mentioned at the meeting that due to the substantial increase in commercial and residential construction in Ashbourne, they are struggling to meet demand.

“This is a big worry considering the 500 residential units planned for Ashbourne at Cherry Lane in addition to quite a few other apartment blocks and houses that have been approved. The councillors asked why Uisce Eireann approved these applications when they are struggling to meet the current demand. We didn’t get a satisfactory answer. This is a question that the residents in Racehill have raised with me quite a few times too.”

Sheila Ward has lived in Racehill for 19 years and has had trouble with their water supply from the beginning.

“Racehill is up a hill and our water pressure is always the first to go. We are constantly losing our water supply and we are never notified.

“We had no water for several days before Christmas and then again on New Year's Eve. We have six in the house, we have four children. It was absolutely dire when they were small, with bottles and nappies.

“We have constant problems with not being able to shower or flush the toilet and we are never told.”

“We have now been told that the solution would be for each of the householders to put in a pump at a cost of €1,000 each. We have never been told this before until now, despite all the years of problems. Why weren't we told 18 years ago. I'd love to know how much money was spent over the past 18 years digging up roads and trying to sort it out.”

Simon Crabb bought his home 17 years ago. “We have had problems with the water for the past 17 years. “The water pressure is low and the water very hard. We have gone through so many appliances.

“They don't let us know when we won't have water. There are just three of us and the problems are awful, but I cannot imagine how my neighbours with bigger families cope.

“My biggest concern is that things will get even worse when all the new houses that are planned are built,” he said.

Another local resident said the worst thing is the lack of communication about water issues such as bursts and leaks.

“We are a household of seven. Four children under the age of six and a 78-year-old dependent. On many occasions, I have had the washing machine on, my kids in the shower, or my mother being washed, and the water has run out. No warning.

“I’ve lost count of the number of times when I go to prepare baby bottles for the night, and there’s no water, and I’m rushing out to Lidl at 9 pm to buy bottled water. There have been weekends when we couldn’t wash clothes, and the kid's uniforms were dirty for the following week. I have airlocks in my tanks and radiators, and only for my father-in-law knowing how to resolve this, I dread to think how much we would have had to spend on plumbers.”