No timeline from Uisce Eireann for fixing flooding issue in Tullamore

Responding to a heated debate at the monthly meeting of Tullamore Municipal District on the ongoing flooding problem at Tyrell's Road in the town, in which raw sewerage spews onto the road during heavy rain causing concerns for the health of local reaidents.

Uisce Eireann has stated; ''The sewer system in Tullamore was built in the early 1900s and, as was typical at the time, carries both wastewater from homes and businesses and surface water that drains from roads and pavements.''

It said, ''Working in partnership with Offaly County Council, Uisce Éireann has already completed a €1.1 million project to upgrade 6km of sewers network in Tullamore. Uisce Éireann is also progressing a Drainage Area Plan (DAP) for Tullamore. The focus of the work under the DAP programme is to:

·Identify where, how often and the scale of problems impacting the public (such as flooding) and the environment.

·Identify solutions to remedy the above based on whole life cost assessment.

In relation to Tullamore, Uisce Éireann says it ''is currently advancing key infrastructure projects in the towns’s core wastewater network to provide additional capacity through the provision of larger sewers and upgrading key wastewater pumpstations. These projects have taken into consideration the growth projections of the town and climate change to develop the requirements of the upgrades. The projects are at the early stages of design and route selection and will include a new canal crossing, removing the pipe restriction which is the main cause of this flooding problem. New larger pipes will convey flows to the wastewater treatment plant.''

In addition, Uisce Éireann says it undertakes a range of initiatives and measures to ensure the optimisation of the wastewater collection system including designing and operating the wastewater treatment system to achieve compliance with the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. As a key stakeholder focused on safeguarding our environment, Uisce Éireann also provides support for educational initiatives including An Taisce’s Think Before You Flush, Think Before You Pour and Green Schools educational programmes.''