Sewage overflowing in Athy estate
The wastewater infrastructure in Branswood is regularly overflowing, says a local resident
AN Athy man is having to live with overflowing sewage onto his driveway because a neighbouring estate has yet to be taken in charge by Kildare County Council.
The man in question because he wasn’t getting any response from the council, the developer or Irish Water.
The man lives in the Branswood estate, and the problem is with the sewage from the neighbouring Carraun Ard estate, which was initially built 22 years ago.
However, due to some shortcomings with the wastewater infrastructure, Kildare County Council has yet to take the estate in charge, and is waiting for Irish Water to upgrade the overworked pumping station.
“I’ve been living with sewage overflows for four years now,” said the complainant.
The council, the developer and Irish Water all blame each other.
“Drain Doc has been coming for the last four or five months every three weeks to clear the overflow at the pumping station.
“Mark Wall says Irish Water has a plan for an upgrade, but there’s nothing yet.
“It’s a joke, a nightmare. I’m 20m away from it [the pumping station] and it has overflowed into mine and my neighbours.
“The first time I was away on holidays, and the flood came right up to my back door, down the side and out the front drive.
“The pumping station is in the green in front of me, and three of my neighbours are affected.
“February was the second time it flooded into my property, and it seeped in under the cobblelock, and there is a permanent smell 24/7.
“My partner comes in and out, and my neighbour has kids.
“There’s been absolutely no correspondence from the developer nor Irish Water, none, they haven’t apologised or even knocked on my door to say sorry, nobody from nowhere, “I’m living here with the smell of sewage for 12 years, and it has gotten worse over recent years.
“The cobblelock has been ruined with the sewage, I had the whole drive re-fitted two years ago, and will have to do it again.
“It will all have to come up again at an estimated cost of €5,500.
“I got another quote of €10,000, but I gave the developer the lowest quote, because I just want my driveway back,” he said.
However, there maybe some light at the end of this tunnel, after Cllr Mark Wall confirmed that “there was a meeting on site last week between the Council and Irish Water Where a couple of solutions were raised”.
“A commitment is there, but it may take another couple of months.
“The developer has committed to installing a second pump, and is just awaiting a part for this.
“This has been unacceptable, but I have been working on this for a few me months now,” he said.
