Inaction ‘not an option’

Rural Water News Spring 2008
Ulster
Region
by Jean Gibson &
Brian MacDonald
Cavan
Members of Bunnoe Group
Water Scheme committee
completed training in the
Quality Assurance system on
Wednesday, 21 February.
The recent EPA report on
drinking water quality
showed that Bunnoe GWS
has amongst the best water
supplies in the county and the
committee is determined that
this record of excellence be
maintained.
***
The recent Annual General
Meeting of Cavan GWS
Federation marked the retirement
of Paddy Gill as secretary.
Paying tribute to Mr
Gill on behalf of the group
scheme sector in the county,
Federation chairperson, Mick
Mulvey, said that he had
‘given sterling service’ to the
rural water sector, not least in
his role as a member of the
County Rural Water
Monitoring Committee.
Mairéad Sheirdan succeeded
Mr Gill as Secretary.
***
The contract for Phase 6 of
the Annagh GWS upgrade is
almost completed with only
snagging remaining. This
contract included extension
of the scheme to the
Threehoo Cross area bordering
the Bunnoe scheme.
***
The extension of the Dhuish
GWs supply into the village
of Shercock is now underway.
This is designed to supplement
the Shercock public supply
when needed.
***
Reservoir construction has
commenced on Poles GWS.
***
Tender are due in April for the
Drumkeery GWS extension
contract.
***
Clifferna GWS has appointed
Paul Ronan as manager. We
wish Paul every success.
***
A new borehole has been
drilled at Milltown GWS to
help resolve the on-going
problem with high sulphates
level in their current source.
Tests are currently being carried
out on this new borehole
and results were expected by
the end of March.
***
A Dissolved Air Floatation
(DAF) system is being
installed at the Erne Valley
plant to deal with the algae
29
problem in their lake. The
ground work has been done
and the system should be
operational by the end of
April.
***
The drive to provide a treated
drinking water supply to
every home in rural Cavan
took another step forward in
early February with the signing
of a €433,000 contract
into the Derrinvoney district
on the Cavan/Fermanagh border
at Belturbet.
Conwell Contracts Ltd, will
lay almost 13 kms of watermain,
linking the Belturbet
public supply to some 60
households and to farms in the
peninsula which stretches
along the Erne, as far as the
Bloody Pass.
The project has been spearheaded
by a local group water
scheme which has been active
for nearly three years.
Welcoming the contract signing,
scheme chairperson Liam
D'Arcy expressed satisfaction
that construction work would
begin within a matter of
weeks, as soon as the seasonal
floods abated.
***
A meeting of the East Cavan
DBO Steering Group was
held on 14 March.
Top: Representatives of Derrinvoney GWS, Conwell Contracts Ltd., Bluehills Consulting Engineers) and Alan Treanor Ltd.were
present for the signing of a contract that will deliver a piped water supply to an unservced area on the Cavan/Fermanagh border.
Bottom: Cavan Federation Board members and representatives of the NFGWS with Paddy Gill assnd his wife, Alice, at a presentation
to mark Mr Gill’s retirement as Federation Secretary after 10 years service.