Water infrastructure in Kildare North is 'buckling', Dáil told

The water infrastructure in Kildare North is “buckling” and residents cannot use their water in the way they need to, according to a Fine Gael TD.

Deputy Joe Neville raised a question in the Dáil recently, asking the Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Harris if the government would “push Uisce Éireann to invest quickly and more effectively in Kildare North.”

Deputy Neville referenced “consistent” bursting of water pipes in Kildare North, affecting householders in Leixlip, Celbridge, Maynooth “and even Naas.”

He said: “This is a daily struggle for people living all around Kildare North. The population has exploded but the water infrastructure is buckling. We see it every day. There were even outages on Christmas Day.

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“These issues were not common in my childhood and even up to ten years ago. In the past five years especially, we have had difficulties. The pipe serving half of Celbridge, from Hazelhatch to Newcastle, was put down in 1945, making it 80 years old. It stretches for 6 km and bursts consistently.

“Indeed, Uisce Éireann has had to reduce the water pressure so much that residents in housing estates like Primrose Gate and Hazelhatch Park cannot even use their water in the way they need to. The pipes between Leixlip and Maynooth are also consistently bursting, leaving areas such as Confey, especially, open to risk. These are basic services. Will the Government push Uisce Éireann to invest quickly and more effectively in Kildare North?”

Thanking Deputy Neville for raising the issue, the Tánaiste said he was aware of “operational challenges” in Celbridge, including at Hazelhatch, and that the water network is “under pressure.”

However, the Tánaiste continued, the “good news” was that Uisce Eireann has water main rehabilitation works approved for design and construction in 2025, involving 5.3km of new water mains.

Site investigation works are planned in the coming weeks and construction is due to commence in the second quarter of this year, the Tánaiste said.

He concluded: “I am assured that these works will help with the water network challenges.”