'The problem here is communication' - Unannounced water outages in south Donegal

Senator Manus Boyle has called on a representative from Uisce Éireann to discuss ongoing water issues, particularly in south-west Donegal.

Water in Killybegs has been off since 7am this morning until this evening, from Fintra bridge through to Kitty Kelly's (excluding the Clocktower area), for essential maintenance, with Cllr Niamh Kennedy among those who shared information, following on from outages earlier this week, when Senator Boyle said locals were not told beforehand.

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Senator Boyle wants a notification process formalised by James Browne TD, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, responsible for Uisce Éireann.

“In the context of water charges, I wish to raise an issue that has arisen regarding houses in the Killybegs area over the past few days,” he said. “Most families woke up on Monday morning to find they had no water and had no water for two days.

“I understand that the outage was due to scheduled cleaning works being carried out at the reservoir. Those works are essential and need to be done. The problem here is communication. Uisce Éireann fell down on this occasion.

“It did not contact local representatives, households, farmers or the elderly. Nobody knew what was happening. Nobody was informed that this essential work was being carried out. A simple written notice or something on the radio or on Facebook to say this work needed to be done would have allayed many people's fears.

“I ask that the Minister engage with Uisce Éireann to review the notification process used in advance of works being carried out.

“I know essential works need to be done in places if there is a burst pipe or something like that, but these were planned works. If Donegal County Council or the ESB are doing something that is planned and that is coming down the line, they send notifications to households in written form or make an announcement on Ocean FM or Highland Radio. When the Minister is discussing a review with representatives from Uisce Éireann, will he have a chat with them about this matter?”

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