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Leaking water tower

Claims by a local councillor that the new Ballycoolin water tower was “leaking like a sieve” have been rebutted by a spokesperson for Fingal County Council.

In a recent statement to local media, Cllr. Kieran Dennison (FG) said “the tower has been empty for over three years because it cannot hold water.” The leaky tower

According to the councillor the 34 metre high tower was “part of the Leixlip Ballycoolin Water Supply Scheme, designed to provide security of supply and boost water pressure to North County Dublin, parts of Dublin City and County Meath at a cost of €90m.

“All of the related works were completed three years ago, including a 100m litre extension to the reservoir there. I am not happy that three years later the water tower is leaking like a sieve. This is not new technology; we’ve been building water towers for over one hundred and fifty years. My concern now is that the taxpayer should not end up paying for yet another piece of infrastructure that does not do what it is supposed to,” he said.

However a spokesperson for the county council has dismissed Cllr. Dennison’s statement saying it was full of inaccuracies.

According to the spokesperson, “the tender cost for the construction of Ballycoolin Water Tower was in the region of €2.7m not €90m and the volume of the water tower is 5 million litres not 20 million litres as quoted by the councillor.

“This water tower was built under the Leixlip-Ballycoolin Water Supply Scheme Phase 1 which included a 100,000 cubic metre reservoir, a 5,000 cubic metre water tower, administration building, chlorination building and extensive site works. The tender cost of this entire contract was €23.1m,” she said.

Commenting on the suggestion that tower was “leaking like a sieve,” the spokesperson told Community Voice that “although the tower appears to hold water as it was designed to do, a number of leaks are visible on the outer wall.

Since late 2007, at the council's request, the contractor has attempted unsuccessfully to fix this problem. An alternative solution is now being developed and remedial works taking approximately four months should begin in June. Assuming this work is successful, the council expects to bring this water tower into full service by the end of 2010, she said.

The council is also adamant that the cost of repairs will not be borne by the taxpayer. “We do not expect to bear any cost in relation to the remedial works now proposed,” said the spokesperson. “Our sole objective at this stage is to ensure this contract is fully completed and any disputes resolved with no loss of public money.”

According to Cllr. Dennison, “the Ballycoolin water tower was awarded the LAMA prize for the best Civil Engineering Project in 2008 by John Gormley TD, Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government.”

Community Voice wondered how a project described by Cllr. Dennison as “not new technology; we’ve been building water towers for over one hundred and fifty years,” could win a prize as best engineering project in 2008?

Further enquiries revealed that LAMA is in fact the Local Authority Members Association a body representing the interests of county councillors. According to one councillor who spoke to Community Voice, “let’s face it, its main function is to organise events and seminars and give us the opportunity for a bit of a hooley occasionally!”

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