TD calls for compensation to be considered after further Birr water outage

Fine Gael TD for Offaly John Clendennen has demanded a full report into the repeated water supply outages affecting Birr and a clear contingency plan to ensure homes and businesses are not left without water for prolonged periods when problems occur.

Deputy Clendennen raised the issue at Wednesday's Oireachtas Infrastructure Committee during its engagement on the progress of the National Development Plan (NDP) sectoral plan on water services and water quality.

He highlighted the most recent outage in Birr, which left homes and businesses without a reliable water supply for an extended period over the weekend, and questioned why significant problems continue to arise despite the major investment in the town’s water infrastructure.

Works on the Birr Water Supply Scheme were completed in 2023 following an investment of approximately €10 million, with the upgraded infrastructure intended to improve the security and resilience of the town’s drinking water supply and provide additional capacity for future development.

Deputy Clendennen said: “People in Birr have had enough. This is not simply a case of dealing with an ageing piece of infrastructure. In May 2023, works totalling approximately €10 million were completed to upgrade the town’s water treatment infrastructure yet we have had repeated outages again this year.

“The latest incident left households and businesses dealing with disruption for days. I was contacted by understandably angry residents, including families and vulnerable people, while businesses were faced with trying to operate without one of the most basic services they require.

“What people want to know is very straightforward: why does this keep happening, what is being done to fix the underlying problem, and what is the contingency plan the next time something goes wrong?”

During the exchange, representatives acknowledged that a failure of water supply was unacceptable but were unable to provide Deputy Clendennen with the specific operational reasons for the recurring problems in Birr at the meeting.

Deputy Clendennen subsequently requested a full report on the Birr situation, including the cause of the recurring outages and the measures being taken to prevent further disruption. A commitment was given at the Committee to provide that information.

He also called for Uisce Éireann to examine whether a compensation mechanism should be available to businesses where prolonged outages leave them unable to operate.

“There is a particular impact on local businesses. They pay commercial rates and water charges and yet, when the supply is unavailable for an extended period, some simply cannot operate.

“I ask that consideration be given to an appropriate compensation mechanism for businesses suffering losses as a result of prolonged water outages. That is something I believe deserves serious examination.

“But the priority must be prevention. We need to know what resilience exists in the Birr system, what backup arrangements can be put in place and how quickly alternative supplies such as water tankers can be deployed when an outage occurs.

“Birr residents should not have to simply accept that prolonged water outages will happen several times a year. Following significant public investment in this infrastructure, they are entitled to expect a secure and reliable water supply.”

Deputy Clendennen said he will review the detailed report promised following the Committee meeting and continue to pursue the issue with Uisce Éireann and the relevant authorities.