No water for 24 Keenagh/Letterbrick homes

Ger Flanagan

Mayo County Council has failed in its bid to receive funding from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government’s Rural Water Programme, leaving 24 houses in the Keenagh/Letterbrick area without water for the foreseeable future.  
Michael McDermott of Mayo County Council informed last week’s monthly meeting of the Castlebar Municipal District that last March’s submission for the area was unsuccessful, although ‘significant funding’ had been approved for projects elsewhere.
The funding allocation was decided on the ‘estimated cost’ of the scheme. The Keenagh/Letterbrick scheme would be expensive, as it covers a 6.5km-long sparsely populated network, as well as a 3km-long connection to Nephin Valley, from where the water would come. The estimated cost was €469,000 for the 24 houses.
Mr McDermott admitted the situation was ‘not ideal’ for the residents. He highlighted an alternative option, saying a well grant could be used to try to sink a new well. If this fails, then the community could try to secure funding from a ‘different source’.
He added that the Department received a total of 900 submissions nationally for funding, and that Mayo County Council secured €15.6 million for rural water in Mayo over the next two years, plus a commitment to fund a new water scheme in Murrisk.

‘Disgraceful’
Cllr Michael Kilcoyne (Ind) said it was ‘very disappointing that the Department has not granted adequate funding’ for Keenagh/Letterbrick. Cllr Blackie Gavin (FF) echoed those concerns: “It’s hard to believe that in 2019 there are 24 houses in the Keenagh area without water.” He said it was ‘very disappointing’ that this issue has been going on for so long and labelled it ‘disgraceful’.
Cllr Gavin proposed that a report be sent to the Department from the Municipal District to seek further clarification.
Cllr Cyril Burke (FG) pointed out that Mayo did well in the overall funding, receiving 15 percent of the available pot. He added that it was unfortunate that the houses in question were so rural and ‘spaced out’.
He suggested that the households’ only way of receiving funding right now would be to drill their own individual wells.
When asked about the future possibility of the area receiving funding, McDermott said he ‘honestly doesn’t see it happening’ in the near future. He said the only way this would change would be if Irish Water decided to extend the public water scheme.