Athy residents say they are being 'gaslit' by Irish Water over sewage overflows
Ongoing works at Branswood estate in Athy Photo: Aisling Hyland
RESIDENTS of a large Athy estate who have been living with sewage overflows for four years now, have been highly critical of contradictory statements from Irish Water on the issue – claiming they have said one thing to a TD and the HSE, and another to the residents.
In recent correspondence Uisce Eireann have claimed “it is not in ownership of the wastewater infrastructure”, but days earlier reported that “the work being carried out at Branswood Estate is a priority for us”.
“I’m just really angry with Irish Water, and we feel we’ve been gaslit by them,” said one of the residents of the 174-house estate on the Kilkenny Road.
“Every time a resident calls them they say they have no knowledge of any work in Branswood, and that we should call the council, however (Deputy) Mark Wall got an email from Irish Water saying they are responsible for the work, are paying for the contractors, and are carrying out regular site visits,” said the resident.
Another resident began her paper trail back on 23 September.
“When I first raised my concerns I phoned Kildare County Council first,” she said.
“They had no record of any works in Branswood, and they suggested contacting Uisce Eireann, and when I did by phone, they had no record of the works,” she said.
“At that point I was simply looking to find out how long the works would be so we could make alternative arrangements for sleep patterns for our child and my partner who works shifts”.
So, she wrote to Uisce Eireann, and in the email seen by The Kildare Nationalist, a spokesperson replied to her on 5 October with this.
“Our investigation has identified that this estate has not been taken in charge,” he began.
“Uisce Eireann (Irish Water) is not in ownership of the wastewater infrastructure within this Estate. It is our understanding that the developer is currently carrying out upgrade works at the estate.
“Any concerns in relation to the impacts of these works is a matter for development control in Kildare County Council. Findings confirmed that the issue originates from the private side and therefore responsibility for any necessary repairs will not fall under the Uisce Éireann pipes responsibility.
“Should you require any further information, please arrange for a qualified plumber to address the private-side issue. The investigation has now been concluded”.
The other resident raised her concerns with the Public Health Department of the HSE.
“I have photographs and videos of raw sewage being pumped directly into storm drains 15 metres from my home, I also have videos of contaminated soil being dug from the excavation site and dumped on a green area 10 metres from my front door,” she reported to the HSE.
“I had a conversation on-site with the contractor who confirmed that the soil was contaminated with raw sewage and that he pumped raw sewage mixed with flood water into storm drains.
“I feel helpless and remain concerned about my own health and the health of my neighbours.” On 13 October the HSE replied with this: “Uisce Éireann acknowledged resident concerns but has provided assurance that there has been no risk to public health in terms of any exposure to wastewater from the ongoing works.
“Uisce Éireann noted that while storm and ground water were present within the excavation works, no wastewater or sewage has been identified based on ongoing site visits. We have been further advised that measures have been in place to ensure wastewater/sewage flows were stopped further upstream in the network from where they were directly tankered away from the site”.
However, following his own correspondence with Uisce Éireann in late September, Mark Wall TD forwarded this to one of the concerned residents.
“Uisce Éireann would like to provide reassurance that the work being carried out at Branswood Estate is a priority for us given the longstanding issues that have existed there as a result of legacy infrastructure for the development”.
“Since our contractor began working on site, we have been liaising closely with them and regularly have Uisce Éireann staff on site to review progress and address any issues arising.
“This is a challenging site and project that has been exacerbated by recent poor weather and excessive rain that have created numerous additional issues to be managed.
“As a result, more excavation work than originally anticipated has been required with a resultant build-up of water.
“Uisce Éireann would like to reassure residents that the overwhelming majority of this water is surface or storm water and not waste.
“While the project is currently at a challenging phase, significant progress is anticipated in the coming weeks that should improve the situation overall.
“A connection to the new wet well has been made that includes the installation of a pump. This has removed the need for tinkering.
“In regard to specific improvements on site, additional fencing has been requested, a dedicated individual for traffic management is now in place, and storage options for site materials are being reviewed.” Residents contest this statement and say that soil contaminated with sewage has been dumped on the green area.
In a statement Kildare County Council said that work was still ongoing to take Branswood estate in charge.
“The current works to upgrade the wastewater pumping station is being undertaken by a contractor on behalf of Uisce Éireann, therefore all queries relating to the wastewater pumping station works should be directed to Uisce Éireann.
“Kildare County Council’s development control section is continuing to engage with Uisce Éireann with the aim of progressing the taking in charge of this development”.
At a recent meeting of Athy Municipal District, senior executive engineer Liam McNeela reported that “significant progress” has been made in taking the estate in charge but that there were “outstanding issues” to do with the on-site wastewater pumping station required remediation before further progress could be made.
Works to decommission the station and construct a new one are ongoing, with the engineer expecting them to be completed in the coming weeks.
Mr McNeela added that a survey of the estate will be carried out in the coming weeks to identify any remaining surface defects requiring remedial works.
Cllr Aoife Breslin said she was delighted that work was being carried out by Uisce Éireann but also expressed her view that the attitude of the national water utility, as well as a contractor for recent works, “hasn’t been the best”.
She pointed to a lack of accountability being taken for issues at the site in recent weeks.
Uisce Eireann has also been contacted for comment but have yet to reply.
