Uisce Éireann urged to ‘urgently progress’ installation of upgraded pipelines in North Kildare

Uisce Éireann / Irish Water has been urged by a councillor representing the Celbridge-Leixlip Municipal District (MD) to "urgently progress" the installation of upgraded pipelines at the Hazelhatch Road.

The request was heard at the latest MD meeting on Friday, March 21 last and was made by Social Democrats Cllr Claire O'Rourke.

At the meeting, she motioned for Kildare County Council (KCC) to request that Úisce Eireann urgently progresses the "installation of the upgraded water pipelines at Hazelhatch Road, as promised for Quarter One of this year, in light of the ongoing repeated serious water supply outages at Primrose Gate and Hazelhatch Park in Celbridge".

A number of councillors threw their support behind the motion, including Cllr Rupert Heather of the Labour Party, Cllr Lumi Panaite Fahey of Fine Gael, Cllr Paul Brooks of Fine Gael and Cllr Nuala Killeen of the Social Democrats (the latter of whom attended the meeting by virtual means).

In response, KCC noted in its report that this would be a matter for the councillors to agree upon.

Social Democrats Cllr Claire O'Rourke. Photo credit: kildarecoco.ie

Speaking further on her motion, Cllr O'Rourke said: "In some of the higher rise buildings, there is not enough pressure; there is a problem with the pipeline."

Cllr O'Rourke also expressed her wish for Uisce Éireann to provide a timeline for the installation of the upgraded pipelines.

"It's time we get some definitive facts about this timeline," she added.

Cllr Panaite Fahey also said: "I have been getting a lot of queries about this too", while Cllr Killeen said that the issue is "causing a lot of anxiety".

"The issue of water pressure [at Hazelhatch Road] needs to be addressed," Cllr Killeen added.

Cathaoirleach of the MD, Fine Gael Cllr Bernard Caldwell, suggested that there may be an issue with the pressure valves in the area.

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