Cork South West TD and Minister for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity Christopher O’Sullivan has raised the unacceptable issue of repeated water breaks in the Shannonvale/Ballinascarthy area with Uisce Éireann and is calling for urgent action to deliver a permanent fix.

Minister O’Sullivan says residents and businesses have endured ongoing disruption and uncertainty due to recurring bursts and outages, and that immediate measures must be followed by a durable long-term solution.

'I understand the frustration of residents and I have been in frequent contact with Uisce Éireann on the repeated water breaks. Installation of a Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV) commenced on Monday, October 13th and should be completed by Friday, October 17th. And optimisation of PRV operation will be carried out the following weeks to reach an acceptable target day/night pressure,' Minister O’Sullivan stated.

While the pressure management installation is welcome, Minister O'Sullivan said he will continue to advocate for a permanent resolution if interruptions persist.

'In terms of the watermain replacement, should the pressure valve not reduce the number of interruptions to supply, Uisce Éireann have confirmed that a case will be prepared for the replacement of the watermain.'

Minister O’Sullivan thanked all teams on the ground for their swift work repairing recent bursts and restoring supply as quickly as possible.