Frustration grows at ongoing water outages in Moate

Members of the Moate community and local public representatives have expressed their frustration at recent water outages which have caused "huge inconvenience" for businesses and households in the area.

Uisce Éireann confirmed to the Westmeath Independent that there had been "two bursts on a trunk watermain serving the Moate area" since the start of the year, both occurring within a short period of time in May, while a "separate planned interruption to supply also took place earlier this year to facilitate ESB works".

Principal of St Oliver Plunkett Boys National School Sinead White spoke of her frustration regarding the "lack of information" received in advance of water outages, one such disruption at the start of May forcing the school to close at short notice.

"When there is a water outage in the school, apart from the lack of prior warning, it is more the aftermath that is problematic for the school," Ms White said.

According to the school principal each water outage impacting the school results in plumbing and heating issues following the return of the water supply.

"Our toilets are blocked and our heating system becomes airlocked with each water outage so there is a need for a plumber to call out to the school to fix the issues," Ms White stated.

The principal said it is "impossible" to have pupils in school when there is a water outage as they are unable to use the toilet facilities.

"I honestly don't want to be closing our school on any day that it is not necessary. It is a hindrance to parents, pupils and the staff but you are left with no option when there is an outage," Ms White added.

Savoury Fare co-owner Des Hennelly said that businesses in Moate had been left "very much on their own" following the recent water outages.

"There appears to be little support for businesses in such circumstances. We lost one and a half business days last month to water outages and there was no prior warning issued to our staff," Des said.

Due to environmental health reasons, Des said Savoury Fare could not open to the public and food which was prepared for customers on the impacted days could no longer be served when water was restored to the business.

Open in Moate since September 2025, Des said he and his business partner, Rory Currid, are still growing the business in the town and issues such as water outages are "not a good look" for customers, some of whom might be visiting the restaurant and café for the first time.

"We have no back up water supply to call upon when there is an outage and you just feel there's little support out there when there is an outage. It's the unknown that's a major concern as we come into the summer season," Des added.

Outgoing Athlone-Moate Municipal District Mayor Cllr Vinny McCormack said the water outages were in the main "due to the condition and age of the pipes" and stressed that the council had made numerous representations to Uisce Éireann for a resolution to the ongoing situation.

"Any water outage is a huge inconvenience for those affected across the line. Over the past number of years there have been a large number of outages on the Moate line, mainly due to the condition and age of the pipes.

"To that end, we have continuously raised this issue with Uisce Éireann management and some upgrade works have taken place in the past 18 months which have certainly improved the situation and lessened the frequency of issues. More investment in this line is scheduled which will improve the quality of the service further," Cllr McCormack said.

Cllr McCormack called for an improvement in the standard of customer service provided by Uisce Éireann as there "can be a substantial lag between public representatives raising an urgent issue" and the "feedback received in terms of estimated restoration times".

"This lack of information is hugely frustrating for all elected representatives and even more frustrating for the public who are contacting us for updates," the councillor added.

Cllr McCormack stated that the "only viable, long term solution for much of this area is to move from the water supply coming from Lough Owel" and "to put a supply line coming from the proposed Shannon spur".

This is what all local representatives are pushing for from Uisce Éireann as a medium to long term solution, Cllr McCormack said.

Fellow public representative, Cllr Tom Farrell said he, like Cllr McCormack, had been raising the town's water outage issue with Uisce Éireann on behalf of the Moate community for quite some time.

"The water supply to Moate from Lough Owel was originally a temporary measure but is now being used on a full-time basis to service the town," Cllr Farrell said.

Cllr Farrell said he previously requested Uisce Éireann to source a water supply from Athlone into Moate but was told at the time that his suggested solution "was not feasible".

However, he said a permanent solution "is a must" as the frustration of ongoing water outages "cannot continue".

"We have to make improvements to the existing water supply from Lough Owel or seek a more permanent solution from an alternative source. When the town comes under pressure there is a risk that the water supply will falter. Moate cannot be held to ransom by an unreliable water supply. It's not good for business in the town," Cllr Farrell stated.

In a statement, Uisce Éireann explained that the pipe which burst is a "large trunk main serving the area including feed to the storage reservoir for Moate town" which "supports with supply during times where there are issues on the network".

"When a burst occurs, expert crews are dispatched to respond as quickly as possible and when repairs are complete it does take time for the system to recharge. However, water supply is typically restored within two to three hours following the completion of repair works," the Uisce Éireann spokesperson said.

Uisce Éireann added that it is "monitoring the performance of the network closely" with "assessment of network performance and associated impact on our customers ongoing".

"Our priority remains the delivery of a safe, secure and reliable water supply for homes and businesses. Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann receive direct communications from us for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours," the spokesperson stated.