After the chaos  experienced last winter when severe freezing weather rendered the City’s road and water infrastructure practically unusable, at our September Council meeting I questioned the Manager to find out what preparations have been put in place in case of a repeat in weather conditions this coming year. Please see the response below.

Q23.    COUNCILLOR EOGHAN MURPHY
Could the Manager please provide details as to what plans have been put in place in preparation for a possible repeat of the severe weather conditions experienced in December and January of 2009/2010, including:

• salt stock provisions;
• the identification of possible emergency salt stock provisions;
• road gritting plans;
• communication plans in the event of road closures, disruption to services etc;
• whether the question of liability has been resolved in relation to the maintenance or non-maintenance of icy footpaths by businesses/residents/Dublin City Council;
• water supply in the event of broken pipes due to freezing ground;
• and, communication plans for any possible water disruptions following any major leakages.

CITY MANAGER’S REPLY:

Roads & Traffic Department reply

Works to the value of €74,000 have recently taken place on the renovation of salt storage barns in order to provide facilities for the storage of up to 1,800 tonnes of salt, providing an additional 500 tonnes of salt in storage over the amount stored at the beginning of last year (i.e. 2009 to 2010).  This amount of salt will be built up in storage over the next two months.  In addition, plans are being assembled in conjunction with the National Roads Authority for the replenishment of this salt as it is being used throughout the winter period.

Road Maintenance Services are currently finalising the City’s winter maintenance plan for the winter period 2010–2011, which includes details of the various winter maintenance crew call-out procedures, salt spreading routes, appropriate salt spreading rates etc.

Communications of any road closures, disruption to services etc. will be implemented via the Roads & Traffic Department’s Traffic Control Centre’s existing communication channels.

In relation to the maintenance or non-maintenance of icy footpaths by businesses/residents/Dublin City Council, we have not been advised of any change in legislation making alterations to the current situation at this point in time. [What is the current situation? I’m finding it very difficult to get a concrete answer.]

Engineering Department reply
This reply relates to the last 2 bullet points above as these refer to water supply issues:

The age and condition of much of the City’s water supply system is such that it will continue to be vulnerable to bursts, particularly during periods of low temperature.  This will remain to be the case until old watermains are replaced/rehabilitated.  This work is in progress but will take many years to complete and is highly dependant on the availability of capital funding from Central Government to cover the cost involved. Except in exceptional circumstances, such as those which occurred in January/February of 2010, repairs are made quickly with little disruption to supply other than in the vicinity of particular bursts.  It is important to note that the City Council has responsibility for the public part of the system only and owner/occupiers have responsibility for the maintenance and repair of the supply system on their own property.

The impact of the cold weather event in 2010 was compounded when consumer demand rose dramatically thereby depleting stocks of treated water.  In the event of a repeat of these conditions, it would again be necessary to impose serious restrictions on supply.  Experience gained during that event will benefit us in dealing with future difficulties but there will always be a variance in the level of impact on consumers because of the nature of the supply network.

A lot of work has been done on communications since the events of early 2010.  The City Council now has a page reserved on RTE Television’s AERTEL service (page 629) where information can be made available to the public.  TV screens carrying only public service information have been installed in public offices. The website has been improved and now contains a large amount of information regarding water supply and how to deal with typical difficulties that might be encountered.  During water supply incidents, both planned and unplanned, press releases and other relevant information is updated regularly on the site.  The use of media, both written and radio/TV to convey information will be maximised, as for example during a recent

significant problem with a burst on a large diameter watermain in the city.  A media day was also organised recently where media representatives were presented with an extensive insight into the production of drinking water for the entire Dublin Region.  City Councillors also have relevant information, press releases etc. emailed to them and will also receive a text message on their mobile phones to alert them to the fact that an email has been sent to them. The City Council is committed to exploring all avenues that will help provide accurate and timely information regarding its activities.