2,157 Clare households are expected to benefit from a €2 million investment in 26 group water schemes around the county, according to Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Carey.
The money will come from the Government’s new multi-annual capital investment programme for water services in rural areas which will run from 2019 to 2021.
Deputy Carey said that €1,606,000, which represents more than half the Clare allocation, will enable 21 existing group water schemes transition to the public water sector and be taken in charge by Irish Water.
These include ten group water schemes connected to various public water schemes and serving 575 households at a cost of €170,000.
Individual group water schemes approved for funding under the transition scheme are: Seafield/Quilty (354 households) €100,000; Ballynote (150) €50,000; Caherkine (116) €25,000; Leitrim Shyan/Clonreddan (107) €50,000; Ballycar (94) €350,000; Feenagh (48) €450,000; Mountrivers (30) €25,000; Ballybeg (25) €12,000. Ballinruane (19) €120,000; Dough/Spanish Point (15) €110,000
€144,000 was allocated to the Tullaher scheme (16 households) with a recommendation that Clare County Council re-examine the proposal for cost savings.
€283,649 will go towards the enhancement of four group water schemes – Killone (377 households) €35,700; Kilnaboy (128) €39,950; Ranaghan (39) €187,000 and Raheen (20) €20,999
The remaining €270,000 will finance public health compliance measures at Leitra (5 households) €20,000 and Ranaghan (39 households) €250,000 with a proviso that the funding be used to rationalise or amalgamate with a nearby group water scheme.
Deputy Carey said that although the programme would run for three years, €1,105,509 – representing more than half the entire total for the county would be allocated this year.
“As Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Affairs, I am delighted that this funding will help ensure that people in rural Ireland can expect the same outcomes in the delivery of water services as those in urban areas
“Rural water schemes account for a significant portion of our overall water services. Based on the most recent Census figures, 9 per cent of people have their drinking water supplied by group water schemes. A further 10 per cent get their drinking water from private wells”, he concluded
