2026-06-18

I take this opportunity to voice my frustration and that of thousands of people who live in north Kildare in the context of dealing with the semi-State body that is Uisce Éireann. Across the north of the county, from Leixlip all the way to Johnstownbridge and down to Naas, we regularly come across issues with Uisce Éireann. I want to deal with specific issues. We have issues in Leixlip where we get a consistent water burst near the Intel plant. Not a month goes by without a pipe bursting. Typically, it happens at around 6 p.m. on Fridays or at weekends. This means that we can be without water for 12 or 14 hours at a time and are reliant on contractors. Second, there are the low water levels at the reservoir in Allenwood. This affects Carbury, Kilmeage, Prosperous and all the other places in the area. Up to 15,000 people at time can be impacted. Third, I want to speak specifically about the issues in Celbridge. There has been low water pressure in the town for a number of years. Work is ongoing at Hazelhatch to alleviate the problem, which is a positive. At the same time, however, two huge construction projects are under way in Celbridge. I will speak specifically to the second of these. As Fine Gael's spokesperson on infrastructure and delivery and as vice chairman of the Oireachtas infrastructure committee, I welcome any water infrastructure upgrades that are happening for houses in my constituency. I am, however, frustrated by the speed at which those upgrades and infrastructure in general are being delivered and rolled out. I specifically refer to the towns of Prosperous and Staplestown in this regard, where Councillors Brendan Wyse and William Durkan are consistently raising this matter at council level. They are highlighting the impact that water levels are having and are not getting the answers they require from Uisce Éireann. As a result of low water levels at Allenwood reservoir, 15,000 people, typically the most vulnerable, are regularly impacted. We need a simple, clear explanation as to the cause of the recurring low water levels and outages at the reservoir, an explanation as to why residents frequently receive inadequate advance notice, clarification on whether current and projected housing development has outpaced existing water infrastructure capacity and, most of all, details of any short-, medium- or long-term infrastructure works or investment plans to resolve these issues. We want to develop and to build, but we want to ensure that we have the water infrastructure in place for the houses that are built. Information on contingency planning for future supplies is required. As I said, there are two water projects in train in Celbridge. People cannot get in and out of the town as a result of issues we are having with traffic. That is simply not good enough. The second of these projects relates to a new development of houses, which I obviously welcome, but the plan has been implemented in the wrong way at the wrong place, which means that the pipes are running down towards the main entrance into Celbridge. A public meeting was held. I was one of the only politicians present. We were informed as to what the impact would be. In the interim, we have had to change it a number of times with Uisce Éireann. That was not because Uisce Éireann came to us, it was because we went to Uisce Éireann. As already stated, in Leixlip, every six weeks without fail we have a burst along the main line, which many Deputies here will know, between Carton and Intel. This does not happen by accident. It happens because the water pressure comes. These bursts happen regularly. The matter needs to be resolved. This is something I highlighted when I was a councillor. It embarrasses me to raise it here as a TD. The people of Leixlip have been let down. They are frustrated. This not only impacts Leixlip, it also impacts Celbridge and Maynooth. That is why I raised both matters today in the form of a Topical Issue relating to Uisce Éireann.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I am answering the issue on behalf of the Minister, James Browne, who sends his apologies as he cannot be here. As the Deputy knows, Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services and planning. Neither I nor the Minister have operational functions in respect of the matter. However, we have made inquiries with Uisce Éireann and have been informed that it is committed to solving and replacing the necessary section of the Maynooth-Leixlip mains water network and has a project in place to do so. Design challenges have arisen in the context of reinforcing the existing pipe and routing a replacement, all while maintaining the required capacity to meet demand on the network. Solutions are being investigated. In the interim, immediate steps have been taken to respond to bursts in the area and to manage supply interruptions as quickly as possible, such as ramping up out-of-hours repair crews and gearing up local stores to ensure urgent availability of materials required. Uisce Éireann is also working with businesses in the area to encourage and ensure on-site storage is in place to limit supply interruptions. Uisce Éireann acknowledges that a long-term solution is required. It is in the process of designing one. In County Kildare, there is a proposed investment of over €170 million in capital projects including the Celbridge and Maynooth leakage reduction programmes and Crodaun wastewater network upgrade that will address some of the most urgent infrastructure deficits, meet environmental obligations and support capacity for housing. It is important to note that Uisce Éireann is dealing with a legacy of underinvestment in water services and infrastructure across Ireland. The scale of the remedial work necessary in our water and wastewater systems will take a number of years and investment cycles to resolve. Uisce Éireann has delivered significant improvements in the provision of water services. Hundreds of water and wastewater treatment plants have been upgraded, thousands of kilometres of new or rehabilitated water mains have been installed, the national leakage rate has been reduced and the overall quality of drinking water remains very high. As part of its future investment plans, Uisce Éireann has brought together the water for growth programme, which is a comprehensive view of water supply and resilience projects in the eastern region, including parts of Kildare. This programme includes some 30 water projects at an estimated investment of €500 million in treatment plant upgrades, new trunk mains and strategic reservoirs to strengthen supply and support growth across the region. I know this is a matter in respect of which Deputy Neville has been advocating for some time, but Uisce Éireann is engaging in respect of some of the fundamental issues. I accept that more work needs to be done. Uisce Éireann assures us that it is meeting the many challenges that exist in the area to which the Deputy referred head-on as best it can. I will refer to that aspect in my closing remarks.

I thank the Minister for State. Unfortunately, I have heard a lot of that before - not from the Minister of State but from Uisce Éireann - during my time as a councillor and since I was elected as a TD. I raised this matter on Questions on Policy or Legislation with the Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Harris, on 30 April. That was three days after the pipe burst on 27 April. The kids at Confey Community College were here and, like many of their counterparts in the other schools in Leixlip, they were sent home. Last week, on 9 June, we had another outage. The water goes off a 6 p.m. and does not come back on until 3 a.m. It is gone all evening and most of the night. Children cannot be bathed. Elderly people do not have access to water. That is the reality of life in Leixlip. People can, within reason, estimate that every five or six weeks the water is going to go. We have Intel in Leixlip. The company employs 5,000 people. We know that we can build infrastructure. Infrastructure has been developed. One of the most technologically advanced semiconductor plants in the world is located there, but we have a pipe that bloody bursts every month, which leaves people without water. Breweries in the area are impacted. Other businesses and coffee shops cannot open as a result of the same issue. All we need to do is fix a pipe. As stated, I raised this matter when I was a councillor. I am raising it again as a TD. I do not want to be coming in here every month or six weeks to raise the same issue. This is about the basics. It is about people being able to have a shower. It is about being able to drink water. It is about the elderly people knowing that they can use their toilets. To be frank, it is not good enough. What Uisce Éireann said in the reply is simply not good enough. It has not been good enough for the past couple of years since it made the same reply to me when I was a councillor. Unfortunately, I will have to keep raising this matter until it is resolved. I do not want to hear excuses or about the plans, ideas, concepts or struggles Uisce Éireann is having because, frankly, its delivery in north Kildare across all areas has not been good enough. It needs to do much better.

I hear loud and clear the frustration in the Deputy's voice in relation to this issue. The points he made are very relevant. Water is a basic requirement for everyday living. The Deputy referred to children, adults and the elderly. Water is a fundamental aspect of everyday living. The Deputy also spoke about businesses and the frustration people have when the water is cut off. The challenge we have is when there is a commitment given that it will be back by 9 a.m. but does not come back until 2 p.m. the following day for whatever reason. People's livelihoods are being put at risk. The Deputy spoke about cafes and other businesses. I hear the frustration, and I know the first port of call for people is their local TD or councillor to ask what they are going to do about it. What the Deputy said about Leixlip in testimony to the fact that, as he outlined, what is happening is simply not good enough. I will take back what I have heard to the Department and to Uisce Éireann and, in the strongest possible terms, ask them to respond. While the Dáil is the forum in which to raise important issues such as those outlined by the Deputy, we still have to get responses from the statutory bodies. I will communicate the Deputy's frustration to the Minister, in the first instance, and to Uisce Éireann, which I will ask for an update. I do not just mean seeking a response that will come back in a week or ten days; I mean real action on what needs to be done in Leixlip. I assure the Deputy that we will relay what he said to those to whom I refer.