Aontú Trim Rep Dave Boyne has said he shares the extreme level of frustration felt by residents of Trim with the return of water outages in the to
Speaking to Meath Live on the most recent water outages affecting Trim, Boyne said “It is with the utmost frustration that we are now back again to the endless cycles of water outages endured by residents and businesses in Trim.
“I called for a meeting in August with senior officials from Uisce Eireann on behalf of the people of Trim asking that an immediate solution be put in place to resolve the spate of ongoing night time water disruptions affecting the town. This is probably one of the most significant issues in Trim where I am constantly contacted regarding the serious impact water disruptions are having on local households and businesses.”
“At that meeting Aontú was assured by Uisce Eireann that the weeks of water outages over the summer would come to an end. We were informed the company was working hard to upgrade the filtration systems at the plant to mitigate the need for ongoing restrictions. We were told the works were progressing very well which Uisce Eireann expected to be completed a week later.
“We questioned Uisce Eireann if the upgrade to Trim Water Treatment Plant could be completed before the end of 2025, but they say they can’t do this any sooner. They did inform me they had prioritised investment on the local water network via the national Leakage Reduction Programme, having recently upgraded and replaced over 3km of old and problematic water mains in the town. They assured me these works have significantly reduced disruption from bursts and o
“Following that meeting things appeared to settle down for a number of weeks, but we now appear to be back to square one again. Households and businesses are contacting me that even when water is restored at 6am it is still not fully usable until 12 noon. Essential workers living in the town such as healthcare workers and emergency personnel can’t shower or wash uniforms when water is constantly out at night when they come off shift work. Households and businesses on electricity night time saver plans can’t use their washing machines when cost saving methods are needed now more than ever in the middle of an energy crisis with high electricity bills with those on reduced or low incomes the most impacted”.
“Uisce Eireann are saying the most recent outages are due to high demand. We have sought an explanation from them this week as to what exactly this means given that we raised the issue in a meeting early last year with officials from the company. We questioned them if there was sufficient capacity for the town of Trim and Meath with expected increase in housing construction and future developments. .
“At the time they assured me this wasn’t a problem in Trim or the rest of the county. It is clear Uisce Eireann needs to be more proactive in predicting what potential problems are likely to arise rather constantly reacting, and trying to catch up to deliver a consistent water supply to Trim. I will continue to press this issue with them” he concluded.
