‘Extremely unfair’ - Uisce Éireann responds to ‘serious issue’ facing Waterford residents

Uisce Éireann has issued a statement in response to a “serious issue” facing Waterford residents.

At the October plenary meeting of Waterford City and County Council, a number of councillors raised concerns about water pipes bursting in back gardens across the city.

The meeting heard that given these pipes are on private property, Uisce Éireann refuses to take any responsibility for the issue.

Fine Gael councillor Frank Quinlan said that whilst the pipes are bursting on private property, they are part of a public sewage system that is over 100 years old.

He added that it was “extremely unfair” that Uisce Éireann expects the householder to deal with pipes collapsing in this manner.

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In recent days, Uisce Éireann has issued a statement on the matter, saying that it is “aware of the concerns raised regarding backyard service connections in Waterford City and County".

A spokesperson for the public water utility continued: “These wastewater connections, typically located to the rear of properties and often shared between multiple homes, were installed many decades ago and can become a source of disruption.

“Under current legislation, responsibility for pipework located within private property boundaries rests with the property owner.

“Uisce Éireann has no remit or funding to upgrade private-side infrastructure. However, we understand the frustration this causes for homeowners, particularly where legacy arrangements impact multiple properties.”

They went on to say that this is a “private-side issue for the owners concerned”, particularly where the issue is occurring on shared private backyard pipework.

However, the spokesperson concluded by saying that Uisce Éireann is willing to work with those affected by the issue.

“We will continue to engage with Waterford City and County Council on possible local solutions.

“We are committed to working with communities and local authorities to address these wastewater challenges where possible.”

While many Waterford councillors have expressed frustration with Uisce Éireann over this issue specifically, the state-owned utility has been the subject of criticism for many years.

At the October plenary meeting, the Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr Seamus Ryan, said that he was “very conscious that meeting after meeting, Irish Water is coming up”.

Meanwhile, independent councillor Declan Clune described Uisce Éireann as “absolutely the worst organisation that I’ve ever dealt with in my whole life".

He added: “They should be shut down or certainly [have] a change of management at the top because they’re a disaster."