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Privatised Water Supply In Blanchardstown Development Contaminated
dublin |
environment |
feature
Friday June 24, 2005 15:23 by hs - sp (per cap)
'Alert issued' sez Wag 'Next time the tankers come they could be charging for the uisce'
Thousands of homes in Tyrrelstown, a new development in the Blanchardstown area, have been affected by a biological contamination to their water supply. The water supply is under the control of a private company established by the property developers. Fingal County Council have had to bail out the private management company responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the water system. A report in the Northside People claimed children's skin had suffered a reaction when they washed. Residents claimed when they contacted Fingal County Council they were passed onto the management company. Private water management companies are not regulated in Ireland. So there you have it, water being privatised through the back door, without legislation or regulation.
Follow Feature Continued Link Below For Council Notices On This Issue Council Notices:
News Update Tyrrelstown Public Water Supply Alert -
UPDATE 5PM FRIDAY 17TH JUN
Following disruption to water services last weekend, Fingal County Council Water Services Department took full control of the water supply in the Tyrrelstown area on Wednesday 15th June to ensure that a localised source of contamination identified through routine water sampling was precisely identified and rectified. In order for this to be carried out water supplies have been discontinued for a 24 hour-period between the hours of 10 p.m. on Thursday 16th and 10 p.m. on Friday 17th June. Residents have been advised that once the supply has been restored, the water will not be fit for drinking until a further notice has issued from Fingal County Council.
Initial investigations carried out on site today involved the emptying of both on-site reservoirs for a full and detailed inspection. This included a full inspection of all associated water supply infrastructure. A precautionary disinfection was also carried out in both reservoirs. While our investigations are ongoing, indications of reduced through-flow in one of two on-site reservoirs suggested that this may have contributed to the contamination of the supply.
The decision was taken to remove this reservoir from the supply network as the remaining reservoir provided adequate capacity to supply water to the area. Further engineering works were carried out on site to ensure any further potential vulnerability in the system was avoided. Once these works have been completed water supplies will be restored to the Tyrrelstown area by the expected time of 10pm this evening. Following restoration of water supplies in the area residents are advised that precautions should be followed as outlined below.
Water quality sampling will be carried out by Fingal County Council throughout the weekend and into next week to ensure that suitable quality is restored to the area in accordance with standard safe practice. This requires that uncontaminated samples are returned on two successive days (i.e. Saturday and Sunday) and for this reason it is expected that water will not be declared suitable for consumption until Monday 20th June at the earliest.
It should also be noted that on site investigations are continuing over the weekend to ensure that the full supply is restored at the highest quality and that the risk of further contamination and water service disruptions is eliminated.
Residents are reminded to take the following precautions once water supplies are restored from 10pm on Friday 17th June:
· Please leave your hot and cold taps running when water is switched back on to flush out the system.
· Water, when switched back on can be used until further notice for:
Flushing of toilets
Flushing of internal house plumbing systems
Bathing and personal hygiene
· Discard ice cubes in fridges and freezers and Do not use the water for brushing teeth.
· Water should not be used for
Drinking
Food preparation
Brushing of teeth
Bathing of small children
Alternative water supplies for drinking and cooking purposes will be made available by tankers provided by Fingal County Council throughout Tyrrelstown from 8am to 10pm daily until normal supply is restored.
Contact Details for further queries and information as follows:
Water Services Department Fingal County Council
9:00 – 17:00 Mon to Fri: 890-6201(2)(3), 890-6212(4)(5)
Fingal County Council Emergency After Hours: 01 8731415
Press and Media Queries
Florence White, Communications Officer, Fingal County Council
T: 01 890 5998
M: 087 4141580
Tyrrelstown Drinking Water Alert
Thu, 16 Jun 2005 13:13:00 IST
Second Notice
Affected Areas: Tyrrellstown
The water supply to the Tyrellstown area will be switched off from 10 pm Thursday 16th June, 2005 and will be switched back on at 10 pm Friday 17th June, 2005. The water when switched back on WILL NOT be fit for drinking and should not be consumed until a further notice has been issued.
The switching off of the water is required in order to carry out inspection of the temporary reservoir which supplies water to the Tyrellstown area.
Water, when switched back on, should not be used until further notice except for:
· flushing of toilets
· flushing of internal house plumbing systems
Discard ice cubes in fridges and freezers and Do not use the water for brushing teeth.
Please leave on your hot and cold taps to flush out the system.
Alternative supplies for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene purposes will be made available at the following locations.
Alternative supplies for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene purposes will be made available at the following locations:
Location: Throughout the Estate
Time: 8:00 am to 10:00 pm
Further information and advice is available on www.fingalcoco.ie and from the following phone numbers:
9:00 - 17:00 Mon - Fri: 890-6201(2)(3), 890-6212(4)(5)
24 Hours: 873-1415
Please advise of elderly or disabled persons who may require special assistance.
Please also advise on unoccupied residences in the above areas and how the occupant(s) may be contacted.
A further notice will issue.
Thank you for you co-operation.
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Comments (15 of 15)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15You can fool some people some times but you cant fool all the people all of the time -- Or Can You???
People get what they deserve- Bad government!
Good one Simon. You've enlightened us all with your far sighted analysis.
Private company looks after the water but when something goes wrong public money fixes it?
Correct me if Im wrong!
so long as growth of GDP is maintained so rich people still invest
without rich people investing in things we'd be done for
what was so dangerous about the water and how did it happen
A management company (which usually deals with things like cutting the grass) being put in charge of the water supply, minus regulations. You tell me!
Who do you thinks owns the management company?
It's the residents. And no one else. They took control of thedistribution of their own water supply and made a bags of it.
Generally management companies are owned by the residents, and they outsource the day-to-day running to an accountant.
Another failure of people power. Why? Because people are lazy.
I bet they pay the management company alright - but own it?
please have at least the decency to actually read the article before you accuse people of being lazy. The company was established and owned by the developers (thats builders dav, people who built the houses).
the people moving in didn't have a choice, and you mightn't have noticed but it's difficult to buy houses these days, its what we call a crisis. housing crisis. Now how about following your own advice about laziness and reading the articles before showing yourself up.
Dav says:
**************************************************
Who do you thinks owns the management company?
It's the residents. And no one else. They took control of thedistribution of their own water supply and made a bags of it.
Generally management companies are owned by the residents, and they outsource the day-to-day running to an accountant.
Another failure of people power. Why? Because people are lazy.
**************************************************
Wrong. Wrong and Wrong again.
If you actually look at the structure of a typical management company you'll find that the residents/owners, while shareholders, hold a minority shareholding. The majority shareholders will be usually, the builder and his or her wife/husband and a couple of solicitors looking after the builders legal dealings. So, as to who controls the management company, the answer is: the Builder, until he/she gets tired of the hassle and then hands it over to an accountant.
Now, management companies should be for the sole purpose of maintaining the estate, grass cutting, litter control, path repairs etc. NOT the critically important function of water supply. That should be solely the preserve of the local authority. Most management companies wouldn't have the technical know-how to look after this in an adequate manner.
Management companies are a little discussed but potent example of local, everyday, humdrum neo-liberalism in action.
An example of where they can lead to was provided in Drogheda recently. An apartment complex almost exclusively occupied by tenants didn't have rubbish collected for several weeks and it piled up and began to pose a serious health risk. Why? Because of a dispute between management company and the landlords who actually owned the appartments. In this instance, residents, ie the people who lived in this development were powerless and couldn't influence the situation. Only the legal owners of a house or apartment are members of management companies. Tenants aren't and so are entirely disenfranchised. Owners/occupiers are in a slightly better position as they are members of the management company, but as they are always holders of a miniscule share they can't do much either. I'd be interested to see how Dav would explain how people can influence management companies in such circumstances.
Finally, management companies are a excellent example of privatisation in action. They are purposefully structured to disenfranchise residents and reduce any influence they have while giving builders and their lackeys cast-iron legal rights to collect often exorbitant "fees". Fees which are often completely unrelated to work actually done by management companies.
The solution? Give responsibility for maintanence of housing estates back to local authorities. Raise taxes to fund this. And dispense with any illusions, which Dav obviously harbours, that managements companies in any way serve the people who actually live in new developements.
Our water too in this country is fluoridated - a toxic poision is used in making many Irish foods with this. the water isn't safe to drink. we are i believe one of the very few countries in the world which puts hydrofluocilic acid in its water
If this report is true it,s really scary.Fianna Fail seem set on a path which leaves the local authorities outside the provision of such essential services as water,garbage,etc.
George Bush could take lessons from Bertie,s gang on neo- liberalism.
It.s a recipe for Thatcherism at its worst.
It is all about stealth taxes and this government abnegating their duties and responsabilities to the people who elected them.
we spent the day up there yesterday campaigning, the waters been switched back on but obviously people are still distrustful. One woman told me she never got the first notice so her family were drinking the contaminated water for days. Its incredible, we found out as well the management company run a clamping "service", which cost 90 euro. Also that they don't seem to be cleaning up or looking after the grounds as often as they're supposed to. fingal county council have to be forced to take over the running of the estate, (estate incidently is a wwrong word, tyrrlestown is more like a fair sized irish town with about 2,000 houses and apartments including many 4 and five bedroom ones). On a more general democracy level, this has been done without the consent of elected cllrs.
This is the second large estate in blanchardstowon with problems of private management companys. Its led to the ridiculas state of people in affordable housing in mullhuddart being forced to pay for services that millionaires in castleknock get as of right. It's completely and utterly crazy.
Go to the Video/DVD rental store and rent out 'Erin Brockovich' - fantastic film about how activism can work. Show the video somewhere publicly and for free - then that should inspire people to fight back.
--- --- --- ---
--- --- --- ---
From Erin's site:
http://www.masryvititoe.com/erin_brockovich.shtml
Erin Brockovich was hired to work at the law firm as a file clerk. While organizing papers in a pro bono real estate case, she found medical records in the file that caught her eye. After getting permission from one of the firm's principals, Ed Masry, she began to research the matter.
Erin's persistent investigating eventually established that the health of countless people who lived in and around Hinkley, California, in the 1960's, 70's and 80's had been severely compromised by exposure to toxic Chromium 6. The Chromium 6 had leaked into the groundwater from the nearby Pacific Gas and Electric Company's Compressor Station. In 1996, as a result of the largest direct action lawsuit of its kind, spearheaded by Erin Brockovich and Ed Masry, the giant utility paid the largest toxic tort injury settlement in U.S. history: $333 million in damages to more than 600 Hinkley residents.
Erin's tireless investigating inspired the hit movie "Erin Brockovich", which highlighted her legal triumph and personal challenges.
. . . .
Official Erin Brockovich Movie website
http://www.erinbrockovich.com/story.html
IMDB.com's Erin Brockovich
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0195685/
--- --- --- ---
Oh, and don't forget Lois Marie Gibbs...
Read:
Love Canal History Collection
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/lovecanal/
Learning from Love Canal: A 20th Anniversary Retrospective
by Lois Marie Gibbs
http://arts.envirolink.org/arts_and_activism/LoisGibbs.html
Love Canal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Canal
Families Against Cancer & Toxics
http://www.familiesagainstcancer.org/?id=159
''The Love Canal residents resort to a lawsuit and were amazed to discover that it is not illegal to poison people in this country. Everything is done openly and legally, with permits and licenses. They even admit that a certain number of people will be harmed. It is a societal permission for cancer. It is like getting a hunting or fishing license - you get permission to kill a certain number of deer, of a certain weight, at a certain time of year. One difference is that when hunting, you are never permitted to take the babies. With pollution permits it is almost always the babies!''
Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich
The real Erin Brockovich
gal aspects’
26 June 2005 By Susan Mitchell
Apartment owners are often unaware of or unwilling to research the legal implications of owning an apartment and dealing with management companies, according to experts in the area.
“Each apartment owner automatically becomes a member of the management company when they purchase their unit,” said Pádraic Bermingham, a partner at Dublin accounting and advisory firm Bermingham Condron.
“The directors of a management company are appointed by the members to oversee the affairs of the company.
“Essentially, the management agency is appointed by the directors to collect service charges, pay maintenance costs etc.
“ They do not generally provide any additional function. It is up to the directors to decide if they want to complete this function themselves or hire in the services of a managing agent.
“In practical terms, the directors are normally unpaid and inexperienced, and usually hire in the services,” he said.
Apartment owners are obliged to pay an annual service charge for the upkeep of common areas in their development.
The site developer has responsibility for the common areas until the transfer of the common areas to the management company.
While the transfer of common areas to a management company should take place once the last apartment within the development is sold, the reality can be quite different, according to Rachael Keane, a solicitor specialising in conveyancing with Dillon Eustace solicitors in Dublin.
She said she had seen cases where the transfer of the common areas was outstanding for more than 10 years.
In some cases, apartment owners feel that the development has not been completed to a satisfactory standard and so are reluctant to accept responsibility for the common areas.
In the past, developers have been slow to transfer the common areas in a development to the management company, as stamp duty is then payable.
However, legislation was recently introduced to encourage the transfer of the common areas in a much more timely fashion.
“It is no longer in a developer's interest to own the freehold, but apartment owners are often reluctant to accept the transfer until everything has been done,” said Keane.
Apartment owners who refuse to pay an annual service charge could delay the future sale of their apartments.
Bermingham said that apartment owners had to remember that management companies had the same Companies Registration Office (CRO) filing requirements as other companies incorporated in Ireland.
Companies which are limited by guarantee are legally obliged to have an audit completed on their financial statements.
Bermingham said that this process provided a “valuable check on the stewardship of the company's affairs'‘ in cases where multiple unconnected parties were involved.
The director of corporate enforcement, Paul Appleby, has revealed that his office is currently receiving an increasing number of complaints about management companies.
The complaints typically allege failure by the directors to discharge their legal obligations and to respect the rights and entitlements of the companies' members.
Call for legislation on management agencies
26 June 2005 By Susan Mitchell
As growing numbers of people embrace apartment living, often touted as a hassle-free approach to modern life, many are facing problems they never anticipated when they put pen to paper.
Michael Noonan, who recently established the Institute of Residential Management Companies, said the legal intricacies and lack of regulation of the management of apartment complexes could cause problems for buyers.
Noonan has been involved in the property business for 20 years and assisted the management companies of about 200 apartment developments in the Dublin area.
He said that the dearth of legislation governing management agencies could cause friction between apartment owners and the agencies appointed to maintain the developments.
Disputes between developers, management agencies and management companies occur on a regular basis, he said.
“It's a quagmire, and one of the reasons is that management agencies are completely unregulated. There is no standard.
“No legislation exists to hold the management agency responsible for anything. A legal responsibility whereby they have to act in the best interest of the management company needs to be introduced.”
Problems between owners and management agencies also arise out of a lack of understanding of company law and responsibilities, according to Noonan.
Apartment owners sometimes feel aggrieved over the fees charged by management agencies.
“People look at their individual purchase and fail to realise that the entire development could be worth €20 million or €40 million,” he said.
“Many will rant and rave about a maintenance budget of €20,000 for the year. On the other hand, agents can sometimes look on it as a blank cheque.”
According to Noonan, insurance companies are also increasing premiums for apartment developments as “they are insuring a risk that is much greater than they had realised'‘.
“I know of a development where the insurance company took the view that the development was being mismanaged.
“The management company had no sinking fund - or money in its account to meet any liability that could arise.
“It owed the ESB €45,000 and the ESB came in and cut off the power.”
Noonan said the management company of the development was overdrawn by more than €600,000 a few years ago.
“Owners wouldn't cooperate with the agent,” he said.
“The owners had legitimate defect issues with the developer and refused to pay their service charges. I effectively spent two years massaging owners' egos to get them to comply. The owners of three-bedroom units there are now paying €5,675 in annual service charges.”
Noonan said that such a case was not unusual, and many management companies do not have the funds to meet a liability. “A lift has a life span of up to 20 years, but if you have heavy usage that will shorten to 10 years,” he said.
“The owners of apartments at Custom House Harbour [in Dublin] had to fork out €20,000 for the lift to be repaired a few years ago, for example. They had no sinking fund.”
A bigger job, such as a roof repair, could cost €200,000.
“People need to think long-term. That's the bigger picture,” he said.
Although developers are supposed to transfer the title on the common areas of apartment developments after the last unit has sold, Noonan said “the waters can get very muddy. Small technical problems can arise that can go on for years'‘. “When the developers remain the directors, the management agency often runs a development without real direction from anybody,” he said.
“Management companies are here to stay, and more and more people are opting for apartment living.
“Legislation needs to be enacted, and owners need to take responsibility.”