The water supply in Clifden should be much more palatable to drink after hundreds of metres of decades old water mains have been replaced.
Two sections of old cast iron water mains on Bridge Street and Hospital Road in Clifden dating back to 1937 had been causing serious issues with the quality of the local water supply.
Paddy Hughes from the county council has been maintaining the Clifden network for 43 years.
He said that over time sediment from the iron pipes has been leaching into the water supply and coming out in peoples’ taps, causing significant discoloration problems.
“Over the last number of years, our crew on the ground – myself, Pat O’Keefe and Stevie Lyden – have had to spend a lot of time flushing the sediment out of the water main.”
Regina Hopkins owner of the Kingstown House B&B on Bridge street said that Clifden is a popular tourist destination, and for a business like hers clean water is essential.
“This project has made our lives easier and it has benefited the local community. When we turn on the tap we get clean water, the discolouration from the old cast iron main has gone.”
In total 350 metres of water mains were replaced by Irish Water working with Galway county council, which should also reduce the likelihood of bursts and water outages and save time on maintenance.
Dave Murphy from Irish Water said that all of the cast iron mains have now been removed from the water network in Clifden.
“As part of Irish Water’s role to safeguard Ireland’s water, Irish Water is investing in a large-scale programme to reduce leakage rates and improve water quality.”
He added that is great to see the tangible benefits that this can bring to businesses in the local community.
