This article is from page 4 of the 2006-06-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
HOUSES in the Ballinruan area were left without running water for three days last week as temperatures soared.
Three homes in the experienced shortages due to areas in water pressure. Engineering officers from Clare County Council remedied the problem on Friday and running water has since been restored to the area. The three houses receive their water from a separate reservoir from to the one which supplies the Crusheen. The problem was eventually solved when engineers directed water from the Crusheen reservoir to the affected houses.
One local resident expressed anger at the length of time it took for the water to be switched back on.
“They were the three hottest days of the year, it was an awful time to be without water. We had no water from Tuesday to Friday.
“We were facing into the weekend without water. We were getting worried. I had to get water from my friends just to wash the dishes and fill the toilet. Luckily none of us had children.”
The person added that the same houses had experienced problems with water supply at Christmas.
Senior Executive Engineer with the Water Services, Walter Walsh, said that the line had experienced problems but that a running tap had exacerbated the problem.
“The area office didn’t know about the problem until late on Tuesday, so it was Wednesday before anyone could get out. The engineering staff thought they had the system in place on Thursday night, but an outdoor tap had been left running and that caused an extra nuisance. The tap added an extra drain on the water going down to them”
Other areas to be affected by water shortages were Shannon and Tulla. On Friday, households in Tulla experienced low pressure and were advised to conserve water supplies. The warm weather and dry conditions forced the council to switch off the water from 12am – 8am. The council
had also advised similar precaution ary measures in Shannon and its surrounding environs.
Mr Walsh said that households would have to limit water use in the event of further dry spells.
“The general picture now is reasonable. But we would advise people not to water their gardens or wash their walls, and especially not to use power washers and to avoid other misuses of the product. There was a response in the Shannon area to our advice.”