Irish Water quotes 'crazy' fee to supply water to Laois Offaly town resident

A Portarlington resident claims to have been quoted man has been quoted €500,000 to get a connection to the town's water supply.

Darren Sweeney spoke to Liveline with Joe Duffy on RTÉ Radio 1 about the situation he faces on the outskirts of the Laois Offaly border town. 

The resident said he purchased a house for €285,000. He knew the bungalow that's very close to town had a private well but found that the existing water supply had a high salt content. Apart from not being drinkable, it is quite corrosive on appliances and copper.

After researching various options like drilling a new well, he decided to approach Uisce Éireann, formerly Irish Water, in the hope that they would connect him. His house is 700 metres from the closest connection point to the mains but there are new houses on the road.

The resident told Mr Duffy on Friday, December 6, that he was surprised at what he described as a laughable quote from the utility to connect his house on the main Portarlington to Tullamore road to the water system. His home is located just outside the 50km zone.

He received written correspondence in reply to his request from the State-owned and funded company stating that it would cost €500,000 to connect to the public mains. He was also advised to check with his neighbours to explore the possibility of connecting to a group water scheme.

"We weren't upset - we just had to laugh at it - it was crazy," he said.

The resident explained that sourcing an independent supply for his home would prove very costly not just because of the cost of drilling a well but because extra treatment technology is needed in the Portarlington area due to water quality issues. 

Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick is a Portarlington-based Offaly County Councillor who contested the General Election as an independent. While he wasn't aware of the individual's situation, he said he wasn't surprised. 

Uisce Eireann seem to charge whatever they want it's totally unacceptable

Uisce Éireann said it doesn't set the costs of connection. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

"Uisce Éireann’s National Connection Charging Policy is set by our regulator, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. The policy includes a single set of standard connection charges for both domestic and non-domestic Connections as set out in the Water Charges Plan. It provides a single clear, transparent and fair connection charging framework nationally and delivers consistent, safe, and end-to-end connection service to customers nationally. 

"Uisce Éireann’s standard connection charges, as approved by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities(CRU), cover service connections of up to 10m from the property boundary.

"While the majority of connections are covered by the standard charge, a connection is liable for further quotable charges where, connection infrastructure greater than 10m in length is required to facilitate a connection such as a sewer extension or upgrade or Water mains extension. "The quotable charges are calculated by Uisce Éireann to cover the costs associated with providing a full connection and are calculated in an equitable manner based on the construction work required, such as ground conditions, other services or utilities in the area, traffic management requirements, materials required, Health and Safety considerations and Road Opening licences and road reinstatement requirements, etc.

"In cases where a connection is sought and an offer is made, Uisce Éireann is required to provide an optimal solution at the least cost to the customer in accordance with the Policy. In constructing the connection, we ensure that the contractor carrying out the work adheres to our codes of practice to ensure the work is carried out to the required quality standard. This is to ensure that Uisce Éireann can continue to provide a safe and reliable service to future and exiting customer.

"In this case, the intention was to highlight that the cost of a 730m mains extension for a single house not located on a public water main would be prohibitively expensive and not technically feasible; therefore an alternative option should be explored," said the company.

The utility said details of these charges are set out on our website at www.water.ie/connections

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