Uisce Éireann spends €632k on unblocking pipes in Cork city

Uisce Éireann has spent €632,151 unblocking pipes in the city since the start of 2024, figures have revealed.

It comes as a councillor is seeking to establish a committee where councillors meet with the water body regularly.

Data provided to Labour councillor Peter Horgan shows that a total of €300,925 was paid by Uisce Éireann (UÉ) for unblocking public pipes in the Cork city area in 2024 and a total of €331,226 to date in 2025.

Mr Horgan told The Echo: “€600,000 spent on unblocking pipes is an extraordinary amount of money over the last two years.

“Notwithstanding the advocacy of Uisce Éireann on tackling wastewater deficiencies; if there is significant unblocking budget in areas like Douglas village, which needed more than 80 blockage releases in the two years, or Mahon, where it seems to be weekly, there is surely a problem with the capacity constraint of the wastewater setup.

“As we seek to unpick issues stopping the building of public and affordable housing the capacity of the wastewater network is and will continue to be critical. It is my hope that my motion to establish a regular committee where elected reps can meet face to face with Uisce Éireann on a regular basis will be supported cross party in the new year and can mark a step change in approach for the new year.

“We all want the same thing a decent public water network for Cork City — south and north.”

An Uisce Éireann spokesperson said: “More broadly, we are addressing challenges in our wastewater networks nationally with a focus on environmental compliance, customer service and growth. For the Cork Metropolitan Area (CMA), the development of a sustainable drainage strategy to assess existing wastewater treatment and network infrastructure and to identify what future investment will be required, in the medium and long term, is underway.”