George Lawlor warns Iska Irn 'out of control' over leaks and charges
George Lawlor criticised Iska Irn's handling of the water service, saying it is "out of control" and answerable to nobody, and demanded accountability. He detailed widespread leaks, raw soarage discharges, hard water damage and excessive connection charges, blaming a lack of government investment.
Claims of systemic mismanagement
He told the minister that Iska Irn is out of control and appears to be answerable to nobody, citing longstanding failures to address water loss and sewage problems raised for decades.
Local leak examples
He gave specific local examples in Wexford Town and nearby areas - a single pipe losing 10,000 litres of water an hour, a pipe in Coolballah with 52 leaks in 18 months despite repeated patching, and a Modlin Town pipe that has leaked raw soarage since it was raised by a councillor 26 years ago.
Hard water and consumer costs
He described the impact of hard water on consumers in Wexford Town and areas to the south - households paying to treat water and replace damaged kettles, showers, dishwashers and washing machines.
Connection charges and community impact
He highlighted what he described as punitive connection charges that have hit community groups and individuals: Blackwater GEA Club faced a €46,000 demand to connect to a fire hydrant, Balloch Boxing Club was asked for €19,000 for a modular unit connection, and a new single house owner in Wexford Town was charged €33,000 for a single connection. He said community groups were being "pinned to the canvas" by the state utility and that political pressure sometimes led to partial resolution.
Calls for accountability and government investment
He blamed the lack of government investment by current and previous governments for the situation and accused Iska Éireann of standing firm in what he called "ridiculous demands," urging the minister to act on the scale of the problem.
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Good morning. Minister, Iska Irn is out of control and they appear to be answerable to nobody. If the public were fully made aware of the loss of water through leaks across the country, they would be astonished. In the past, as a councillor and indeed as a TD, since I was elected to this Auguste House, I've had to deal with Irish water on a number of issues. But in the past, one leak that comes to mind was where one particular pipe in Wexford Town was losing 10,000 litres of water an hour. And after years of contact with the then Iska Irn, it was resolved. But only after years. I dealt with another single pipe in Coolballah in Wexford Town that had 52 leaks in 18 months. Constant patching after patching. Yet again, years of campaigning before it was placed. But nothing has changed. 26 years ago, the late councillor Paddy Nolan in Wexford Town raised the issue of raw soarage leaking from a large pipe in his home area of Modlin Town. It's still leaking raw soarage today. It's never touched and no attempt to resolve. And these are just a couple of examples in a small area. So you can imagine the scale of the problem out there. Then of course we have the issue of hard water for consumers, both in Wexford Town and in areas south of Wexford Town. People being forced to pay huge sums both to treat the water but also to replace the appliances that are constantly being damaged. Kettles, showers, dishwashers, washing machines. But then the whole area of connection charges is really astounding. Some of the instances I've dealt with over the years are bordering on criminal. Blackwater GEA Club in the past faced a demand for €46,000 to connect to a fire hydrant. The Balloch Boxing Club with 25 members were asked for €19,000 for a water connection to their modular build unit. Community groups doing amazing work getting pinned to the canvas by a state utility company. But only the highlighting of these by myself and others got these somewhat resolved. However, when the owner of a new single house built in Wexford Town was forced to pay in the heart of Wexford Town, €33,000 for a single connection, for a single one-off house in Wexford Town. Iska Éireann stood firm in their ridiculous demands. Community groups and citizens of this country are being screwed by Iska Éireann because of the lack of government investment by your government and previous governments. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you.
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