Council's water appeal as supplies hit a critical low

Thousands of householders and businesses across the county have been left without water this week as Meath County Council battles to maintain supplies in the wake of the prolonged period of severe weather. The water supply remains at a critically low level in the Navan area and supply to many outlying areas was cut off this week as the council attempted to replenish reservoirs to keep up with demand. Council spokesperson Bill Sweeney said it was the "most serious water situation in several years" and has appealed to members of the public to conserve water where possible. He said that while the situation had improved slightly, demand in the Navan area is twice the normal, indicating that a massive amount of water is leaking. Crews have been working to identify and repair leaks to water mains but the council is also appealing to those with agriculture connections and individual connections, particularly those with outside taps, and owners of vacant buildings, to check their connections. There was also increased demand at the weekend due to consumers leaving taps on to prevent pipes from freezing and the council is appealing to people not to do this under any circumstances. Standing orders were suspended at Monday's county council meeting to discuss the problems caused by the severe weather and the county's response. Acting county manager Tadgh McDonnell told councillors that the thaw had put additional pressure on the water supply and that the issue was "almost critical" in parts of the county. While the supply in Navan town has not been affected, low levels in the Proudstown reservoir has led to widespread disruption to supplies in the surrounding areas, including Dunderry, Robinstown, Boyerstown, Ongenstown, Ardbraccan, Durhamstown, Bohermeen, Cortown, Greetiagh, Oristown, Gibbstown, Rosmeen, Teltown, Donaghpatrick, Rathaldron (from railway crossing out of town), Tatestown, Wilkinstown, Kilberry, Demailstown, Graigs Lane, Proudstown Road (from its junction with Dunmoe Lane out of town), Dunmoe and Donaghmore Lane. The water was turned off in these areas from 7pm on Monday night to 7am yesterday (Tuesday) morning. The supplies were turned off again at 10am and were expected to remain off until this morning (Wednesday), though the situation is being kept under review. Water tankers have been placed at Dunderry Church, Robinstown Church, Cannistown School, Boyerstown Cemetery, Callaghan's Crossroads, Ongenstown, Bohermeen School, McHugh's pub, Bohermeen, Oristown School, Donaghpatrick Church, Kilberry Church, adjacent to O'Neill's Garage in Wilkinstown, at the round tower at Dunmoe, Graigs Lane (Slane Road end) and Wheatfield housing estate, Cortown. There were some complaints that the Navan town supply was not disrupted when the outlying areas were and Mr Sweeney said the main reason for this was to maintain the supply to Our Lady's Hospital and also because of the high density connections in the town, it was easier to maintain the mains than in rural areas. Water problems were also experienced in the east Meath area following the bursting of a major water main at the Staleen water treatment plant in Drogheda at the weekend, which supplies parts of County Meath. Areas affected included Ashbourne, Ratoath, Kilbride, Dunshaughlin, Duleek, Bettystown, Laytown, Mornington, Donacarney, Julianstown and Stamullen. Supplies have now been restored, though it was expected to take 24 hours for pressure to build back up to normal levels. Nobber, Drumconrath, Ballivor, Athboy and Oldcastle also experienced localised problems over the weekend. Senior executive engineer in water services, Gerry Boyle, gave an update to councillors on Monday, explaining that there had been problems in the coastal villages, Dunshaughlin, Asbourne and Ratoath following the mains burst but that it was being worked on and the system should be fully recovered the next day. Mr Boyle told councillors that, from the outset of the cold spell, they had difficulty in maintaining water supplies and that, over the Christmas period, there was huge efforts by the council's outdoor staff to maintain supplies. "We knew once the thaw came, there would be problems with water mains bursting. Demand in Navan has gone up hugely in the last 24 hours and we are actively looking for leaks and repairing them. Demand is up 25 per cent in the last day and we will be restricting supply to outlying areas to allow the reservoir recover," he said. Mr Boyle said the council had kept the water supply going over Christmas and the New Year but they were "really up against it this week" and asked people "to bear with them". Advice on conserving water, burst pipes and frozen pipes and details of areas where water supply is being disrupted can be found on www.meath.ie