Environment

New watermains in Gorey

Irish Water, working in partnership with Wexford County Council, is replacing 580m of problematic watermains in Ramstown Lower, Gorey, which will improve water quality for the community. The project commenced last month and forms part of Irish Water’s National Leakage Reduction Programme. The works also involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers’ property boundaries and connecting it to the customers’ water supply. The works, being carried out by Shareridge Civil Engineering on behalf of Irish Water, is taking place on the Forth Road and are expected to be completed by the end of November.

Outlining the benefits the mains replacement will bring, Joe Carroll from Irish Water explained: “Replacing these old and problematic pipes in Ramstown Lower, that have a history of bursting, will reduce the drinking water lost by leakage and will bring an all-round improvement to water quality for the local community. Joe added: “To facilitate the safe delivery of the upgrades, there may be some traffic management in place, however, local and emergency access will be maintained at all times.

“Works will be limited to short sections to minimise any impact on customers. During this project there may be some short-term water outages and the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours notice before any planned water outages. “We understand that road works and water outages can be inconvenient, but our crews will make every effort to minimise disruption to local communities as we continue to improve the water supply in Wexford and progress the National Leakage Reduction Programme.” Irish Water’s customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also make contact on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For updates please visit the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website or set your location on the website www.water.ie

This project is one example of Irish Water working in partnership with Local Authorities to reduce leakage and provide a more reliable water supply. Fixing leaks can be complicated but progress is being made. In 2018 the rate of leakage nationally was 46%, by the end of 2021 it was 38%. Irish Water says it is on track to achieve a national leakage rate of 25% by the end of 2030. n

Save energy costs

The Environment Department of Wexford County Council has put together some tips for you to help save costs on your energy bills.

For more information please go to: https://bit.ly/3rXyxSR

Climate action podcast

180 Degrees – an SEAI Podcast About Climate Action features guests from various strands of society, who each have a story to tell about their own personal relationship to climate action. Guests include:

Liz Bonnin, Science, Wildlife and Natural History Broadcaster. Davie Philip, Community Catalyst. Eamon Ryan, Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, and Transport. Rachel Dempsey, Founder of Full Circle Change. Professor John Sweeney, Emeritus Professor of Geography at the NUI Maynooth. Lorna Gold, Author and Movement Builder. Sharon Finnegan, Director of the EPA with responsibility for the Office of Environmental Sustainability. All episodes are now available to download from the SEAI podcast page – if you like the podcast, please rate and review and share with friends and family. https://www.seai.ie/podcast/ n

No excuses!

With the generous support of the Environment Department of Wexford County Council, two Mutt Mitts bag dispensers and bins (see photo) have been installed in Ferns village and also at several locations around Enniscorthy. These dispensers contain easy to use biodegradable bags to dispose of your dog’s poo. So no excuses! Bag it and bin it!! n

Enniscorthy’s tidy towns success

Congratulations to Enniscorthy Tidy Towns, national winner of the SuperValu Ireland Tidy Towns Good Windows Award sponsored by the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland. A lot of credit goes to Dervla Tierney of Reimagining Enniscorthy for pulling everything together in relation to the submission for the windows at No.9 and No.31 Slaney Street. Well done to the Tidy Towns group also for retaining its bronze medal in category F of the national competition despite a number of setbacks during the year. The group would like to acknowledge the support of like-minded organisations such as Sustainable Enniscorthy, Community Allotments, Reimagining Enniscorthy and all the resident associations, with a spokesperon telling us that, “For a town the size of Enniscorthy collaboration between groups is key to success and the support of an active local authority.”

We’ll carry a full report in next month’s issue of the ‘Slaney News’. n

Caring for the Earth in Wexford

In church car parks in Wexford town, in the near future, you will walk into pocket forests of trees and you will hear lots of honey bees buzzing as they work to keep food on your table. You will also be able to park your e-bike or your e-car conveniently and powering up electrically while you go to the Library, the Opera in High Street, go downtown to shop, saunter along the Quay, walk the Wexford Cultural Spine or drop into the churches at Rowe Street and Bride Street to pray. All was explained at a public meeting themed “Our Greatest Challenge” held at Whites Hotel, Wexford, on 6th October.

Dr Noel Culleton, a scientist and author of several books on climate and on classical music, is chairman of a new group called Care for the Earth. They were the organisers of the public meeting. The group comprises also church leaders Bishop Nash, Fr Billy Swan, Fr Terence Bateman of the Catholic church, Victoria Hawkins of the Church of Ireland, and several Wexford highprofile civilians Helen Corish Wylde, Don Curtin, Gerry Forde, Mary Ellen Hawkey, James Kells, Brother Eamon McLochlinn and Ibar Quirke.

They are worried about the impact of climate change, which they say is our greatest challenge, and they have joined in a massive campaign to stamp out the dreaded carbon footprint. They want us to know how we can do it. They talk too about biodiversity, a long word which simply means the importance of hedgerows, gardens, lawns and insects and bees.

Gerry Fleming, Meteorological Consultant, famed for his wink on the weather on RTE television, and Rev. Trevor Sargent, a horticulturist and one-time leader of the Green Party, were among those who voiced their opinions at the meeting. Dr Noel Culleton, one of Ireland’s original climate worriers when he was with the Department and in Brussels, and as head of Johnstown Castle, described the public meeting at Whites Hotel as crucial to our health, our well-being, and our future. n

Wexford Care for the Earth public meeting in Whites Hotel on 6th October 2022 in conjunction with Wexford Parish Mission Week.

Willie French and Rev. Trevor Sargent. L-R: Gerry Fleming, Mary Ellen Hawkey, Dr. Noel Culleton (Chairman, Care for the Earth), Mayor of Wexford Cllr Maura Bell, Bishop Of Ferns Ger Nash, Rev. Trevor Sargent.

Wexford Care for the Earth public meeting in Whites Hotel on 6th October. Above left: Victoria Hawkins, Ibar Quirke and Dr Noel Culleton. Above right: Stefanie and Oliver Roche and Nancy Codd.

Music was provided by the Wexford Female Vocal Ensemble.

Wexford County Develoment Plan

Following receipt of confirmation from the Office of the Planning Regulator of its satisfaction with the Council’s responses to the remaining outstanding issues, the new County Development Plan 2022-2028 came into effect on 25th July 2022. New planning applications received from that date onwards will be assessed against the policies, objectives, and development management standards in the new Plan. It is proposed to hold information sessions on the Plan in the coming months. The Plan is currently available to view online on the Council’s website and in hard copy format at the Planning Department, Carricklawn. The graphic design and production of the Plan is underway and once this process is completed hard copies will be available for circulation and purchase. n

All you need to borrow a radon monitor is a library card! Please contact your local branch for details.

Green loans from Enniscorthy Credit Union

Need to retrofit your cold, 1970s house? Enniscorthy Credit Union’s Green Loan is designed to help you do just that – with one of its lowest rates for a loan 5.25% (5.4% APR) you can save money, save energy and save the environment with Enniscorthy Credit Union! Talk to them today at 053 9233835 or email: loans@enniscorthycu.ie n These six ‘R’s can save our planet!

Refuse single use plastics (bags, cups, etc) Rethink your choices Reuse as much as possible Repair before you replace Recycle all packaging and plastic bottles Rot all your organic stuff and put it back into the soil n Litter bins on the way

At the October meeting of Enniscorthy Municipal District, it was confirmed that the following litter bins are on the way: • Bunclody: 3 replacements bins are ready for installation within a matter of days. The Big Belly bin is to be delivered shortly and installed in a suitable location. • Wafer Street, Enniscorthy: A litter bin to be installed within a few days. n