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It would cost more than €30 million to replace
asbestos water mains in Kerry - work that’s unlikely to be
done for many years.
There are 304km (11.25% of the total) of asbestos
pipes in Kerry County Council’s network of water mains.
Raising the issue, Cllr Michael Gleeson said
many of the pipes were more than 30-years-old - an age at
which they could deteriorate rapidly. He said breaks were
occurring frequently in some areas - especially in Fossa,
Killarney - with staff being called to repair leaks to a degree
that was embarrassing for everyone.
According to a report from the council’s water
department, the average age of the asbestos pipes is 35 years
and only a small proportion of the network is prone to bursts,
or significant leaks.
Engineers have estimated that up to 40% of water
in public supplies throughout Kerry is wasted.
The council started a €3m water conservation
project in 2005. Specialised leak detection and repair teams
are currently working on the ground - and, to-date, over 2,000
leaks have been repaired. A project to meter all non-domestic
water users in Kerry is almost complete and more than 18,000
meters have been installed.
County manager Tom Curran said the metering
project had resulted in considerable improvements in water
conservation. However, the council would continue to contact
customers with unusually high usages.
There has been increased monitoring of water
supplies for cryptosporidium and, in its 2010 budget,
the council has set aside €150,000 for the expansion of its
cryptosporidium monitoring programme.
Kerry had an overall compliance rate of almost
97% with drinking water regulations, according to 2007 EPA
report.
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