Munnelly seeks action on rural group water schemes

The new Water Services Strategic Plan, which is under development, needs to take account of smaller group water schemes that are currently not being connected to public supplies, according to Fine Gael Cllr Jarlath Munnelly.

Cllr Munnelly has called on the Government to make changes to the draft Water Services Strategic Plan, which is currently on public display, to accommodate requests from smaller communities with less than 25 houses, seeking a connection to the public water supply. 

At the moment, funding is not being provided for group water schemes with less than 25 houses. Cllr Munnelly says this is unfair and is preventing many people from getting an adequate water supply. 

“A new Water Services Strategic Plan is being developed by the Government, and it needs to take account of requests from rural communities where there are less than 25 houses, and they need a public water supply. The current rule is preventing communities with less than 25 houses that are not served by a public water supply. In many cases, their water is provided by a well, with severely inadequate quality.” 

Acknowledging that there has been a lot of progress to improve water supply in rural Mayo, Cllr Munnelly said there is much work still to be done, and the focus has to switch to smaller groups of houses in rural Mayo.

“I’d be the first to acknowledge that there has been a lot of investment in building new water networks in rural Mayo, and indeed in the take over of rural group water schemes. But on my election canvass I have come across many rural householders without a proper water supply. Many of the larger schemes have been addressed, but we have left behind smaller rural communities with less than 25 houses, and I think they have to be the priority now.”

Cllr Munnelly is seeking election for the fifth time in the Ballina Local Electoral Area. First elected in 2004, the Killala-based councillor was re-elected in 2009, 2014 and 2019.