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Kerry County Council to write to Irish Water to investigate wastewater facility in Currow

Dec 23, 2022 17:44 By radiokerrynews
Kerry County Council to write to Irish Water to investigate wastewater facility in Currow
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Kerry County Council will write to Irish Water, to investigate whether a facility in Currow is working properly.

The motion was raised at the recent meeting of the Castleisland/Corca Dhuibhne Municipal District, by Fianna Fáil councillor, Fionnán Fitzgerald.

Cllr Fitzgerald says the waste water facility at the entrance of Lakeview Park estate, Currow, has been queried by locals for some time.

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The motion was seconded by Independent councillor, Charile Farrelly, who said it was evident that somewhere along the line there has been a breakdown in communication between Kerry County Council and Irish Water regarding the plant.

Councillor Fionnán Fitzgerald said the waste water facility in Currow should be investigated  -to see if it is working properly - and if not that Irish Water repair or replace the unit.

Many issues, such as a foul smell and over-grown plants in the lake, all indicated that the water management system is not functioning properly.

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Maintenance of Lakeview Park estate was taken over by Kerry County Council in the mid 00’s. (mid-noughties)

However, under the Water Services Act 2013, Irish Water brought water and wastewater services of the 31 local authorities together, under one national service provider.

Cllr Fitzgerald contacted Irish Water in September regarding the facility.

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In their response, Irish Water said, it's "in ongoing discussion with Kerry County Council with a view to resolving this issue.

Irish Water confirmed in their response that the wastewater management system is not in Irish Water ownership and wasn’t listed by the Local Authority to transfer to Irish Water as part of the Asset Transfer process. (They say the estate is outside the memorandum of understanding as it contains developer provided infrastructure.)

Therefore, Irish Water say that Kerry County Council are responsible for the operation and maintenance of the estate infrastructure.

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Cllr Fitzgerald said the current situation is due to the lack of clarity and that no one is maintaining the wastewater system in Currow.

Senior Engineer for Water Services at Kerry County Council , Brian Lennon, said under the Water Services Act , all services were to be transferred to Irish Water, however, the reality is different.

He says Irish Water have been paying the electricity bills, and Kerry County Council have been carrying out minor repairs at the plant for the last few years. He said that the plant probably needs an upgrade or replacement.

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Mr Lennon said legacy issues with the takeover of sites may have led to this issue, whereby Irish Water may not yet officially own all waste water infrastructure, and this may be the case in Currow.

However, he says Irish Water still have an obligation to maintain and upgrade the facility.

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