Motion pur forward at the local area committee meeting recentl regards Main Street Swords.
Motion: Councillor J. Newman – Swords Main Street – Watermains. “That the Chief Executive as a matter of urgency contact Irish Water to take necessary action to have an immediate survey carried out on the Main Street in Swords with a view to upgrading watermains system. The water main has already burst in a couple of places and it appears the old water pipes in Main Street need to be replaced.”
Report: The condition of the 30 inch diameter watermain on Swords Main Street is already known through investigations carried out as part of the Swords Watermain Rehabilitation Project which was overseen by the Fingal County Council Water Services Project Office. This project identified rehabilitation and replacement work required on this watermain along its full length including the section on Swords Main Street in order to prevent problems with ongoing bursts on the watermain.
Consultants were appointed by Fingal County Council on the 19th December 2013 to oversee the appointment of a suitable contractor and to supervise the watermain rehabilitation works on site. From January 2014 Irish Water commenced bringing the water and wastewater services of the 34 Local Authorities together under one national service provider. Irish Water will also be making capital and investment decisions regarding the country’s water infrastructure. Contracts previously signed between Fingal County Council and Consultants/Contractors such as the Swords Water Rehabilitation Project have been novated to Irish Water.
The Swords Watermain Rehabilitation Project does not appear in the Proposed Capital Investment Plan 2014-2016 as it is considered a water conservation project. Irish Water has a dedicated Water Conservation Section to oversee projects of this nature. The project is currently undergoing a Business Case Review by the Water Conservation Strategy Team within Irish Water. This is standard Irish Water protocol and is in line with their asset management approach to leakage reduction that will balance funding between active leakage control, speed and quality of repairs, pressure management and investment in watermain rehabilitation.
The Water Services Project Office provided Irish Water with a Business case for the project in late 2013 along with some supporting documentation. The Fingal County Council Water Services Project Office Team is currently working closely with the relevant personnel in Irish Water to provide any further project or operational information required to ensure a decision with respect to the final scope and advancement programme for the Swords Watermain Rehabilitation Project can be made by Irish Water as soon as possible. The Irish Water Asset Strategy representative has been made aware of the relevant questions and motions arising from council members in relation to this project.