Fourteen bursts on Inch Island water pipe in 19 months

There have been 14 separate bursts in the water pipe servicing Inch Island and Magherabeg in Inishowen between January 2020 and August 2021.

According to Donegal County Council, there were five burst pipes in the year 2020 and between March 2021 and August 2021 there have been nine burst pipes.

The situation is so bad, people living in the area have launched an online and hardcopy petition to have water mains at Magherabeg in Burnfoot replaced.

The petition can be accessed HERE. It is also available in Bradley's Shop in Fahan.

Speaking to Donegal Live about the issue, Carmel Lynch, who lives in Magherabeg said since last month, the number of bursts in the water pipe had “gone through the roof”, to the extent of having two bursts in one day.

Carmel said: “What is happening is they are coming out and fixing one burst and within an hour we have another one. It has come to the point, when you get up in the morning and you have water, you don't know whether or not to have a shower, do your daily routine, in relation to living life.

“We have a lot of the older generation living on Inch as well. They need water. Everybody needs water, especially in the middle of a pandemic. We can do nothing. When we get up in the morning, we are lucky if we can have a cup of tea.

“We need help to get his pipe fixed. It is 1.2 kilometres of pipe. The pipe that they originally used on the line is asbestos and it is continually bursting because it is so old.

“These bursts are too much. Two in the one day, which happened recently, is awful. When one burst is fixed, you think 'great', next thing, burst again.

“When I built my house 17 years ago, I had to pay €6,000 to run pipe from the water connection at the end of the road to my home.

“The present situation is not acceptable. You don't pay money to not have water. Water is a thing you need every day in life.”
Carmel subsequently contacted Irish Water regarding the continual bursts. The utility has now opened a case file on the matter, with the reference number: 2447544873. She is encouraging everyone affected to contact Irish Water on: operations@irishwater.ie quoting the reference every time there is a burst.

She also said it was unfair a pipe was being run from the Eddie Fullerton Dam to Letterkenny to supply water to that area, when the supply at Inch was so sporadic.

She said: “We need to have this pipe replace as soon as possible. We cannot wait. We have farmers here, we have people who have carers coming in their homes.

“Everyone needs water and we need this pipe replaced immediately, just so we can live our lives on a daily basis.

“I would like the people of Inch to contact Kevin Lake in Donegal County Council and sign the petition, online or in Bradley's, and email Irish Water.”

Carmel's neighbour, Chiara Boyle, who started the petition, said she had been living on Inch Island for 18 years and there had always been issues with leaks.

She added: “That being said, the situation has worsened greatly over the last five years.

“The pipeline at Magherabeg is constantly bursting. I have two teenage kids, who shower every day, and an almost teenager. I have gotten to the point that I have signs ready to stick on the doors to remind the kids not to flush the toilet or have a shower.

“On July 6, one of the hottest days of the year, the pipe burst twice. My husband came home from work and had to go to the tide to wash. We don't live in a third world country but sometimes it feels like it!

“It must be costing Irish Water more to repair these leaks than it would to replace the pipeline, which is a pure waste of taxpayers' money.

“This stretch of pipeline is no more than one kilometre long, yet it has been repaired at least 13 times in the past year alone. Even the dogs in the street can see this is not financially viable. It does not make any sense.”

Speaking to Donegal Live about the continual water outages on Inch Island and Magherabeg, Cllr Jack Murray said: “It is long past time that Irish Water invested in Inch Island and Magherabeg.

“The people there have endured an inconsistent water supply and deserve to have access to a supply which most people would take as a given.

“I cannot understand how anywhere could be prioritised above them as I'm not aware of anywhere with more regular outages.

“I fully support Carmel's initiative in starting a petition and I would ask everyone in the area to sign it. We need to make Irish Water understand the real human impact of these outages and this is the right way to do it.”