WATER SERVICES
Carlow County Council continues to provide water and waste water services on behalf of Irish Water under a Service Level Agreement. This agreement, dating from 1st January 2014 sets out in detail the working arrangements for the continued provision of quality water and waste water services to satisfy the needs of our customers in Carlow in compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements and in an efficient manner.
Annual Service Plan (ASP)
In 2017, Irish Water and Carlow County Council agreed to work under the terms of the SLA to provide efficient and quality water services to satisfy the needs of the customers in compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements. The ASP documents the agreed objectives and standards of performance and takes into account the IW Performance Assessment proposed by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) the requirements of the EPA and the objectives of the IW Business Plan. The ASP sets out Performance Target for the year to reflect the standards required in the delivery of the service by Carlow County Council in the context of the available funding, customer service, and regulatory requirements and the anticipated LA activities in the year. The Service Plan includes the Historic Performance for each performance measure where available together with the Performance Target.
The ASP includes:
• The budget and headcount agreed by IW and Carlow County Council.
• The status of the IW Capital Programme.
• The High Level Transformation Plan Roadmap for the year.
• The specific objectives and performance targets for the year.
In 2017 there are 62 specific objectives and performance targets measured, which include issues relating to drinking water quality, waste water discharge quality, customer services issues including responses to the local representatives queries, budget control, notifications of outages, leakage, reactive maintenance works such as leak repairs and the relieving of blockages on the sewer network.
The performance score for the Carlow ASP in 2017 exceeds 95%.
In 2017, a total of 52 staff from Carlow County Council worked in collaboration with Irish Water to deliver the Annual Service Plan operating to a budget of almost €7.0m in day to day operations in drinking water production, waste water treatment and network maintenance.
Water Services Staff, photograph taken at Rathvilly Water Treatment Plant
The Service Level Agreement includes for a Transformation Plan the objective of which is to transform the industry and assist in delivering a world class service within the funding, regulatory and revenue limits.
Other initiatives included in this transformation plan are: Standardisation of Operating Procedures, Planned Maintenance Programmes, Capital Delivery, Standardisation of New Connections, Customer Handbook, Waste Water Source Control and Licensing, National Laboratory Strategy, National Telemetry and Scada and the Water Industry Operating Framework (WIOF).
The stated purpose of the WIOF Programme is to plan, and implement a more effective and efficient water services delivery model for Ireland which meets the needs of a modern society and economy, while continuing as a State owned regulated public utility.
At present a representative number of Local Authority Staff and Irish Water Staff are working together on scoping how water services work can best be delivered, and how functions and teams could be organised to work together in the future.
WIOF (Water industry Operating Framework)
IW have completed the design of their preferred Single Utility Model and negotiations are ongoing with CCMA, Unions and Department with regards the implementation of this and the transformation process involved.
Irish Water have clearly signalled their preference for transition to the single utility model before the termination of the SLA in 2025.
Carlow County Council has worked in collaboration with Irish Water in the delivery of Irish Water Capital Works. The projects completed in 2017 included:
• Upgrade of Wexford Road Pump Station
• Upgrade of Quinnagh Green Pump Station
• Find and Fix leakage detection in Bagenalstown and Tullow
• Lead replacement of service pipes was completed in Tullow
Wexford Road Pump Station
Numerous Minor Works upgrades to include Health and Safety Requirements, Process Optimisation and Improved Efficiency at Treatment Plants throughout the county to a value in excess of €600,000.
Health & Safety Tracker (HSQE)
Improvement Works as part of the HSQE Tracker were completed at a number of locations which included the following: Pembroke Pump Station; Nurney Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP); Tinryland WWTP; Ballon Reservoir; Clonegal Reservoir; Philip Street Pump Station; Tullow Water Treatment Plant (WTP); St Mullins WWTP and Glynn WWTP.
New Gantry & Walkway at Nurney WWTP
Gantry & Lifting System at Tinryland WWTP
Carlow County Council has also collaborated with Irish Water to influence strategic investment in the County.
The Design Phase for a Major Capital Upgrade to Tullow Waste Water Treatment Plant and Network has commenced and both water main and waste water network improvements are to be undertaken in parallel.
Atkins Consultants were appointed by Irish Water to initiate the design phase for major capital upgrades to both Mortarstown and Bagenalstown Waste Water Treatment Plants in the County.
Coffee Northumberland (CNL) Ltd. were appointed as IW Water Network Programme Regional Contractor. CNL are to commence water main replacement at Royal Oak Rd Bagenalstown and at Tullow St Carlow as part of a multimillion euro investment in water main replacement in County Carlow.
Ryan Hanley Consulting Engineers have been appointed by Irish Water for the upgrade of Rathvilly WTP. This is part of an Irish Water Initiative titled, Project Evolve, whereby a number of larger water treatment plants in the southeast are being upgraded and project will represent a multi-million euro investment into water services production in County Carlow ensuring adequacy of supply to meet demand into the future.
On Friday, September 29th, 2017 Irish Water and Carlow County Council officially opened the new Wastewater Treatment Plants in Rathvilly and Hacketstown, projects which represent an overall investment of €2.8 million in wastewater treatment in Co Carlow.
The new treatment plants in Rathvilly and Hacketstown will bring many benefits to the communities, including protection of the local waterways by ensuring that the wastewater is treated effectively before being returned to the environment. The development of these two treatment plants will also facilitate social and economic growth by providing the treatment capacity to for the current and future populations of the area.
James O’Toole, Irish Water; Cllr William Paton, Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council Official Opening of Rathvilly & Hacketstown Waste Water Treatment Plants
James O’Toole, Irish Water; Cllr William Paton, Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council; Kathleen Holohan, CEO, Carlow County Council; Deputy Pat Deering TD. Official Opening of Rathvilly & Hacketstown Waste Water Treatment Plants
Drinking Water Operations
17,000m3 of drinking water is produced each day in Carlow across 16 Water Treatment Plants. This serves approx. 44,000 people, industry, services, and agriculture. To date Carlow County Council have met all required targets set by Irish Water and the EPA and the HSE in respect of Drinking Water Compliance for Microbial, Chemical and Indicator parameters.
All customer contact is now coordinated through the IW call center and Carlow County Council continues to meet the targets set by IW in responding to these queries relating to issues such as no water, reporting leaks, low water pressure and water quality issues.
Carlow County Council continues to actively reduce leakage by the maintenance of the District Metering System, night time pressure reduction system and active management of the network. Two new staff have commenced work on the “Find and Fix” Programme in 2017 and night surveys are undertaken to minimise interruption to customers. Savings realized in 2017 amount to 1.1 million litres per day.
Waste Water Operations
There are 24 Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) within Carlow County. Ranging in size from 39,000 Population Equivalents (P.E.) to 30 PE.
11 of the WWTP have a Discharge Licence and 13 of the WWTP have Certificates of Authorisation. The EPA dictate the requirements for sampling of the respective plants. Discharge Licence Plants are sampled monthly whereas Certificated Plants are Sampled Quarterly. There are 4 samples carried out at each WWTP namely upstream, downstream of discharge point, influent and effluent each sample has approximately 11 parameters checked.
Eight Water Treatment Plants have been audited by the EPA in 2017.
Process Optimisation for Sludge Pressing was carried out Bagenalstown, Tullow & Mortarstown by Veolia so as to maximise the throughput of the belt presses.
Changes have been made to the procurement process by Irish Water with the introduction of Frameworks for Chemicals, Sludge & Sampling. Local Authority Staff have implemented these changes seamlessly.
Irish Water have invested in treatment plant and pump station capital maintenance and have also invested in new vehicles and equipment for Carlow County Council staff allowing for increased efficiency in the delivery of waste water services to the public in County Carlow.
The National Cert of Authorisation Programme NCAP has been implemented within Carlow as requested by the EPA.
The following is a summary of (Maximo) Work Order Statistics for 2017:
Pat Doyle, Operator - Waste Water Services New Jetting Van
STRATEGIC POLICY COMMITTEE (SPC)
The Transportation, Environmental and Infrastructural Strategic Policy Committee discussed the following issues at meetings held during 2017 in respect of Environment & Water Services: