Rural Water News Autumn 2007 6
Rural Water News Autumn 2007 Effective management means huge savings on Cavan’s largest GWS Cavan’s largest group water scheme has managed to save its consumers about €230,000 annually by reducing water wastage through its distribution network and <strong>the</strong>re are plans for fur<strong>the</strong>r savings in <strong>the</strong> months ahead. This was <strong>the</strong> message delivered by Erne Valley GWS manager, Mairéad Sheridan, whose presentation to <strong>the</strong> Rural Water Conference underlined what schemes can achieve through appointing a dedicated manager and maintenance staff. Erne Valley GWS With almost 1,600 connections, of which 1,140 serve a domestic dwelling (sometimes in addition to a farmyard), Erne Valley is one of Ireland’s biggest group water schemes. Its 240 km network links a large rural of south west Cavan. Formerly, this region was served by two schemes Gartylough GWS and Brusky/Killydoon GWS, but in 2005, <strong>the</strong>se amalgamated to form Erne Valley GWS. Following amalgamation, a major upgrade programme began, including construction of a treatment plant, an 11-km interconnecting pipe and universal metering. To oversee <strong>the</strong>se works, <strong>the</strong> new 15-strong committee moved quickly to employ a part-time manager. Candidate After a process of advertising and interviews, Mairéad Sheridan emerged as <strong>the</strong> successful candidate and was appointed on 8 May 2006. Her experience in <strong>the</strong> accounts department of Pat Mairéad Sheridan, Manager of Erne Valley GWS, pictured with Cathage Cusack of <strong>the</strong> DoEHLG. <strong>the</strong> Baker’s successful business in Granard meant that she had ample experience in business management. Working closely with <strong>the</strong> committee, she began to implement a plan to have quality treated water flowing to homes across <strong>the</strong> scheme at <strong>the</strong> earliest opportunity. As things stood, <strong>the</strong> new state-of-<strong>the</strong>-art water treatment plant could not be switched on, because of massive water loss along <strong>the</strong> distribution network. Demand At <strong>the</strong> time of her appointment, daily demand stood at a staggering 5,700 m 3 (1.25 million gallons) per day, more than twice <strong>the</strong> design demand. The capacity of <strong>the</strong> new treatment plant was 3,500 m 3 (770,000 gallons), but it could reach 4,400 m 3 (968,000 gallons) peak demand. The priority for Mairéad Sheridan and <strong>the</strong> Erne Valley committee was to reduce daily demand to a level where <strong>the</strong> treatment plant could become operational. In additon to completing <strong>the</strong> universal metering contract, this required <strong>the</strong> appointment of a dedicated caretaker to deal with maintenance and repairs on an ongoing basis. In August 2006, John Masterson was appointed to this position following normal recruitment procedures. In little over a year since <strong>the</strong>n, 500 leaks have been detected and dealt with. More significantly, <strong>the</strong> completion of <strong>the</strong> universal metering programme meant that <strong>the</strong> GWS has been able to move away from its former flat-rate billing system to a charging policy based on usage. Meters As soon as <strong>the</strong> meters became operational, <strong>the</strong>y were read by committee members and those members with high usage were alerted that <strong>the</strong>y might have leaks. Similarly, those with unauthorised connections were urged to regularise <strong>the</strong>ir situation or face <strong>the</strong> consequences, including legal action and disconnection! Since <strong>the</strong> waste reduction programme began, daily demand has dropped to 3,300 m 3 (726,000 gallons) across <strong>the</strong> entire network, a 42% reduction! In terms of <strong>the</strong> financial benefit, <strong>the</strong> scheme is saving about €230,000 annually on <strong>the</strong> volumetric payment to <strong>the</strong> treatment plant operator. Mairéad Sheridan revealed that with a fur<strong>the</strong>r ongoing programme of replacing defective mains, installing pressure reduction valves and establishing district (bulk) meter areas across <strong>the</strong> scheme, it is hoped to achieve a 3,000 (660,000) m 3 daily demand by <strong>the</strong> end of this year. 7
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