New reservoir to ease water worries for thousands

Date Published: 11-Apr-2011

BY CIARAN TIERNEY

Householders on the western side of the city who have had to endure regular water shortages in recent years are set for welcome news today with an announcement of €2 million in funding to build a new reservoir at Tonabrocky near Rahoon.

The new reservoir will service some of the western suburbs which have been most affected by cuts to services in recent months as demand on the existing facility has been stretched to bursting point for some time.

Areas such as Ballymoneen, Clybaun, Cappagh Road, Rahoon, Kingston, Letteragh, and Ballyburke in the city, as well as Barna and Moycullen, will be supplied by the facility.

Minister for the Environment, Heritage, and Local Government, Phil Hogan, is set to announce approval for Galway County Council’s plans for a new reservoir, adjacent to the existing Tonabrocky facility, this morning.

Although the old facility is located in the County Council area, it supplies much of the domestic water supply for the west side of the city – including some of the areas which were hardest hit by the shortages during the cold snap in January.

Minister Hogan’s announcement has been welcomed by Brian Walsh TD (FG), who said there had been a problem with the water supply in these areas for some time.

“This is a very important scheme for the area and I would like to see it progressing through to design, preparation of contract documents, and tendering of the proposed new reservoir as quickly as possible,” said Deputy Walsh.

Read more in today’s Connacht Sentinel