New water mains for the villages of Lombardstown and Glantane moved a step closer this week with confirmation that the tender has been issued for the full replacement of water mains in the area. Both communities have suffered consistent disruption to their water supply over many years with a large number of leaks often leaving houses and businesses in the area without water for over a week. The situation became even more critical during 2012 with more than 30 breaks recorded during the year. Funding has been approved by the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government for Cork County Council to design, tender and construct these new mains.
Welcoming the tendering, local Councillor John Paul O’Shea said, “Today is another step closer for the people of Glantane and Lombardstown in receiving their new water mains and I know this will come as a great relief to both communities who have suffered considerably over the years with the frequent disruption to their water supply. The current infrastructure is in place since 1952 and is clearly no longer fit for purpose. The tenders are due back in early March and Cork County Council intend to move quickly to appoint a contractor from this tending process and move to construction stage as quick as possible”. Both Lombardstown and Glantane Community Councils have also consistently raised the importance of replacing these water mains with Cork County Council who have acknowledged that the current situation is dire, and realistically there is only one solution to the problem which is the full replacement of the existing infrastructure in both villages. It was clear that it would be far more cost effective to move ahead and proceed with the full replacement of the 4km of water mains in the area, instead of continuing to incur expenditure in repairing already outdated and debilitating pipes.
Cllr. O’Shea added “I want to say a particular word of thanks to the local water curator, plumbing staff and the entire water services team in Cork County Council for their continued efforts during this difficult time and who have worked closely with me and the local community during the year where, undoubtedly, work on repairing and patching this debilitating network was no easy task. The dedication to their roles was evident at all times and I’m sure they along with the communities of Lombardstown and Glantane are all looking forward to the new infrastructure being put in place during the coming months”.