‘Badly needed clarity’: Uisce Eireann provides answers on Kilkenny village water issues

Fianna Fáil TD for Carlow-Kilkenny, John McGuinness has welcomed what he called “clear and comprehensive answers” to a list of questions submitted to Uisce Éireann on issues around wastewater treatment in Inistioge and the surrounding communities.

Deputy McGuinness was scathing in his criticism of the State-body last week as he called their lack of response “a shocking and disgraceful failure” and that “this is a State-funded entity that can’t even answer basic queries about failing infrastructure, raw sewage discharges, or overdue investment”.

However, after pressure in the Dáil and media, Uisce Eireann provided answers to all 11 questions submitted by Deputy McGuinness something which he says “brings much-needed transparency to long-standing concerns regarding capacity constraints, project delays and the prioritisation of essential public infrastructure”.

Among the information provided was that €77m has been invested into Kilkenny water and wastewater between 2014 and 2024 and that €5.2m allocated for the proposed treatment plant in Bennettsbridge had moved the project to Stage 2 - Preliminary Business Case, involving detailed analysis, solution-option shortlisting and cost estimation under the Small Towns and Villages Growth Programme (STVGP).

Alarm had been sounded over the assertion that the Inistioge treatment plant had at one point been second on the priority list, but then downgraded to fourth and later fifth position. 

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However, Uisce Éireann stated that the project had never been second but was reallocated from fourth to fifth, a decision made by Kilkenny County Council and not the water authority.

When asked why the Inistioge project had not progressed despite a planning application being approved and reports of raw sewage entering the Nore, Uisce Éireann replied that the system provides primary treatment and not raw sewage discharge while a capacity study didn’t find evidence of environmental harm.

There are no upgrades planned for the Rower village as it has no existing public wastewater infrastructure and the development of any in the future falls under the scope of the County Council and Department of Housing, not Uisce Éireann.

Speaking on the answers provided, Deputy McGuinness concluded that “this information is essential for communities who have waited far too long for basic services that support homes, tourism, local businesses and public health”.

“I will continue working with Uisce Éireann and Kilkenny County Council to ensure progress is made, especially in Inistioge and Bennettsbridge, where upgrades are long overdue”.

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Article funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme