Galway County Council to ask Uisce Éireann for co-funding as €20m wastewater projects stalled

By Emma F. Smith, The Drogheda Independent

Galway County Council have taken the decision to ask Uisce Éireann for full support in co-funding wastewater infrastructure projects in Craughwell and Clarinbridge.

Cllr Martina Kinane put forward a motion, passed through the council at a September plenary meeting, that would ask the water company to provide Galway County Council with the co-funding requirement of nearly €5m.

The project consists of the provision of wastewater infrastructure in the villages of Craughwell and Clarinbridge.

In 2023, the two towns secured €20m for new wastewater treatment systems, however little has been done since then.

Cllr Kinane claimed that in May 2025 Uisce Éireann requested 15pc co-funding from Galway County Council to begin the works. She told the plenary meeting it is her understanding that this 15pc funding request is the reason why works on the project did not begin over two years ago.

Uisce Éireann received €2bln earlier this year to help with infrastructure projects such as this. It is understood that if Uisce Éireann covers the co-funding provision, they would recover the money from future connection charges.

“Our funding in Galway County Council is very low anyway,” Cllr Kinane said, “There's no €5m, there's a hole already in the budget, but it's a no brainer really that Uisce Éireann should front it because once the project is completed Uisce Éireann can collect income from the connection charges. On that basis, I think this should be 100pc funded.”

Meanwhile, Galway East TD Albert Dolan spoke before the Dáil on the impacts the lack of facilities is having on housing and affordability in the area.

“The result is an artificial constraint on land supply in towns and villages across Galway. House prices in Athenry, Loughrea and Gort are being pushed up, while villages like Craughwell and Clarinbridge have not seen new homes built in more than 15 years. This is an opportunity that cannot be allowed to slip away.”