Funding approval for €16.5m water treatment plants in Fethard and Burncourt has been welcomed this week.Environment Minister Phil Hogan has given approval to South Tipperary County Council to invite tenders for the two plants.
This is welcome news for both areas that have suffered from water supply problems for years.
Fine Gael TD Tom Hayes described the announcement as long overdue and said it will have a huge impact on the water services in Burncourt and Fethard as well as the surrounding areas of Mullinahone, Dualla and Ballinure.
“This is a major milestone in the long running campaign to have this critical work carried out. This significant funding will ensure the county has a modern water infrastructure, and will go a long way towards ensuring the problems like water shortages, burst mains and boil notices are not experienced in these areas again.
“There will also be some improvements to the water distribution networks in both areas. Water is a very precious commodity and one that is under threat. The objective of the Burncourt and Fethard schemes is to produce good drinking water, provide adequate storage and ensure that the distribution system is adequate to supply the whole region.
“These works are long overdue and I am delighted that following intense representations over the years and in particular in recent months that the South Tipperary County Council are now in a position to seek tenders. This investment will provide a much better level of service to all current residential and commercial consumers, and of course will have a positive impact on the local areas during the construction phase” he said
Minister for Public Transport and Commuter Affairs Alan Kelly has also welcomed the announcement.
“There have been big problems with Burncourt and Fethard water schemes for years, they are on the political agenda for some time. The people in these areas have suffered a lot over the years with outages, breakages and a lack of service. The announcement comes after years of appeals from homeowners to have the problems resolved. I have no doubt that this will be very welcome news in the relevant areas.