‘An abysmal failure’: Uisce Éireann comes under fire
Recurring boil water notices, water outages and a lack of engagement from Uisce Éireann sparked debate at the June council meeting
Serious concerns over recurring boil water notices, water outages and a lack of engagement from Uisce Éireann dominated discussion at the June meeting of Tipperary County Council, held at the civic offices in Clonmel on June 8.
The issue was raised by Cllr Máirín McGrath, who asked when councillors could expect their next workshop with Uisce Éireann, stating that engagement with the utility had been limited. Referring to the latest boil water notice affecting the Ardfinnan area, she noted that a previous notice had remained in place for over 100 days. Calling Uisce Éireann “an abysmal failure,” Cllr McGrath said that ongoing water supply issues were leaving residents and businesses unable to cope across south Tipperary.
Several councillors expressed frustration at ongoing disruptions to water supplies despite significant investment in infrastructure at Goatenbridge Water Treatment Plant. Cllr Andy Moloney highlighted recent outages affecting Cahir, Ardfinnan and surrounding areas. He said parts of Cahir had been without water for three consecutive days three weeks ago, while further disruptions had occurred in recent weeks. Cllr Moloney questioned whether staffing or call-out arrangements were contributing to delays in resolving issues and said councillors were receiving what he described as "copy and paste" responses from Uisce Éireann.
Cllr Moloney also raised concerns about the future of long-serving staff and the vital expertise they have in the local system, praising Anthony O’Dwyer for his detailed knowledge of the network. He warned that losing that expert would leave Cahir “without water every second day of the week.”
Cllr Marie Murphy supported those concerns, saying residents had been notified of overnight water restrictions at short notice over the weekend. She said she was on the same supply. Cllr Murphy questioned why problems continued despite the upgrade works to the Goatenbridge plant, which she said was originally expected to take 18 months but had now been ongoing for over two years. “We are over two years and two months at it now and still in bother,” she said, adding that approximately 12,000 households were affected by these recurring problems.
In north Tipperary Cllr Phyll Bugler said her area had experienced five boil water notices since January, despite none in the previous 20 years. She added that residents were receiving little or no explanation from Uisce Éireann about the cause or duration of the issues. Cllr Bugler also raised concerns about delays in responding to faults at pump houses following power outages, saying it could take up to 16 hours for a response.
Sinn Féin councillor David Dunne described the situation as “an absolute joke” and “a scandal,” saying councillors were repeatedly raising the same issues without resolution. He criticised what he described as a lack of accountability and said it was unacceptable that councillors could not get answers while even TDs were reportedly experiencing similar difficulties in obtaining information. Cllr Dunne also called for a major review of Uisce Éireann, suggesting that water services should be gradually returned under local authority control.
Cllr Annemarie Ryan Shiner said Tipperary Town had been under a boil water notice since early February, approximately 150 days. She added that reduced water pressure was also impacting nursing homes and businesses. She said this was happening in the evening times to allow the reservoir to refill overnight. Cllr Ryan Shiner also said the loss of experienced staff had affected the system and suggested that service levels had declined since responsibility moved from the local authority.
Elected members called on the council to make direct contact with Uisce Éireann, stating they had been unsuccessful in obtaining answers themselves, with calls made for further engagement on the ongoing issues.
Following the council meeting, Cllr McGrath said recent outages, overnight restrictions and the latest boil water notice had further undermined public confidence in Uisce Éireann's ability to provide a reliable water supply.
She noted that last year's boil water notice in the area remained in place for 116 days, forcing many households to rely on bottled water for extended periods, and said recurring disruptions were continuing to place pressure on residents and local businesses.
Questioning how reservoirs could be running low following recent periods of heavy rainfall, Cllr McGrath said communities were entitled to answers on water management, infrastructure resilience and long-term planning. She called on Uisce Éireann to provide clear explanations for the latest issues and to outline measures to prevent further disruptions.