Water schemes are worried about the changing picture of supply and charges

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE â€â€ but how much will it cost? The uncertainty about the future cost of water supplies was highlighted at the recent AGM of Kilbannon Group Water Scheme, Tuam. Since the abolition of domestic rates in 1977 urban dwellers have had free, unlimited water supplied to them by the County Council. Part of the reason for this may be that for health and safety reasons villages, towns and cities need to have running water. No such consideration was given to their country cousins who were expected not only to source their own water but also build the extensive network of pipes, pump-houses, treatment plants and reservoirs needed for this purpose. Were it not for the initiative of the farming community in many areas, these schemes would never have started.[private] Scheme spent €2.2m in three years Kilbannon was one such scheme that began 36 years ago and now supplies piped water to over 300 private houses and 200 farms and farmhouses. To do so it has spent over €2.2 million in the last three years upgrading a large section of its 25 miles of piping. In all of this it has been substantially grant aided by the Council but nevertheless members have to pay €250 per year, or 70 cent a day, for their water supplies. In recent years the quality of water has become a big issue and now water providers are obliged by law to ensure that it is safe to drink. One result of this is that many schemes could not afford to build new, expensive treatment plants to guarantee this high quality and turned to the Council to supply them with water from the regional schemes. However instead of being a solution this has thrown up new problems. Under an EU directive non-domestic users of public water must pay for it. Their connections must be metered and they must pay according to usage. While it is understandable that commercial users like farms, factories and pubs, who profit from the water, should pay for it, it is hard to understand why schools, clubs and community centres are also charged on the same basis. Galway County Council employs a company called Celtic Anglian Water to meter, monitor and charge commercial users. At present they are surveying the Kilbannon area for this purpose. (Incidentally this company is owned by National Toll Roads and by a private English water company so perhaps the sell off of this vital, national resource is not far off despite Government reassurances to the contrary.) The difficulty now facing schemes like Kilbannon is survival. Some members feel that because urban dwellers are getting free water from the Council they should too. What they fail to appreciate is that the Schemes still have to provide and maintain the network that supplies the water to the individual houses. This distinction will disappear however when the Government, under the directions of the Troika, who now finance our country, bring in charges for every house in the State. Ministers are slow to state how much people will be charged. At present the Government spends €1.2 billion on water every year. If we divide this by approximately two million householders the average, individual charge could be €600. So perhaps the current charge of €250 is reasonable. â€â€ Joe Coy[/private]