One third of drinking water in Co Clare is lost to leakage and householders across the County are being encouraged to make use of a free service to bring down this number.
Newly released figures have shown that 464 householders in Co. Clare benefited from Irish Water’s First Fix Free since the end of March. The utility responsible for the country’s water and waste water management is urging more householders to avail of the free service.
Irish Water’s First Fix Free scheme was launched in early 2015 across all metering regions in Co. Clare and throughout the country. Since the end of March, 75,974 properties were identified with customer side leaks, 1,955 of which have been found in Co. Clare. €51 million worth of funding was set aside by the Government to cover the cost of the ‘first fix’ initiative.
Kate Gannon, Irish Water’s Water Conservation Strategy Specialist, welcomed the number of householders in Co. Clare who are availing of First Fix Free while encouraging greater uptake of the scheme.
“Leakage of water from the network is a serious problem on a national scale and that is reflected here in Co. Clare. 1,955 households in Co. Clare will have already received a letter indicating a potential leak on their property and these householders should contact Irish Water, if they haven’t done so already, to request a free leak investigation. I am urging any customers who have received a letter, or who may be aware of a leak within their property boundary outside of their home, to get in touch with Irish Water.
“Almost 30,000 customers have already contacted Irish Water to avail of a free leak investigation including 758 in Co. Clare. If you contact us about requesting a leak investigation one of the Irish Water team will contact you within 10 working days to arrange a convenient time to visit. Under the First Fix Leak Repair Scheme 111 households in Co. Clare have had leaks fixed for free, but there is much more work to do and we need Clare customers to get in touch by telephoning LoCall 1850 278 278 or through our website water.ie”.
Fine Gael TD Joe Carey is also encouraging householders to benefit from the free service. “To avail of the scheme, householders must have a confirmed leak on their external supply pipe; have water meter installed on their property so the leak can be verified; and have a working and accessible inside stop valve”.