22 Feb Householder could have to face €47,000 water charge
BY ENDA CUNNINGHAM
One city household would face a bill of almost €47,000 for the year when domestic water charges are introduced, an extensive leak detection survey by Galway City Council has revealed.
In fact, the Top 10 ‘worst offending’ leaks identified by the local authority – all private homes – would rack up a water bill totalling €225,000 for the year.
The Council is currently in the process of contacting homeowners where the leaks were detected, advising them to have them repaired – they are all on private land and not local authority responsibility. A formal letter will also be issued containing consumption figures, and allowing 28 days for repairs, or warning of legal action.
A property at St Claire’s on Taylor’s Hill is currently consuming a staggering 13,473 gallons of water per day – more than 120 times the average – the Leak Detection Unit found. That would equate to a water charges bill of €46,941.
The survey identified more than 100 ‘Private Side Leakages’ (on private property), and after being contacted, around half of these were repaired by the owners.
The Council then fitted meters at the boundaries of 18 properties, and found they would clock up water usage of more than €260,000 for the year – almost 27.5 million gallons.
The average ‘normal’ daily consumption is 110 gallons – a house at Ros Aitinn on the Clybaun Road was found to be using 11,000 per day (which would cost almost €38,500), while another property at St Brendan’s Terrace in Woodquay is using 7,871 gallons per day (€27,422).
Councillor Frank Fahy said he was shocked by the figures, and called for the supply to homes to be restricted unless they fixed leaks.
“It’s the taxpayer that is paying for this wastage. The figures are staggering. We are paying for that water to be purified and provided, and it’s just going into the ground,” said Cllr Fahy.
He said it was unfair that some homeowners could be using so much water, and causing pressure problems in neighbouring properties.
For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.