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W3C Validation

Water Grants

A few years ago, I filled out the WG form from the Cork County Council which would get the ball rolling on bein given a grant to have my rickety 17 year old water pump replaced with a submergible stainless steel pump. Before posting the form along with a site map of the location of my home, I needed to have it signed by a contractor registered for VAT who holds a current Form 2 or tax clearance certificate. The work may begin once a Certificate of Provisional Approval is issued.

Wow, when the pump was installed I was so pleased with the added pressure & silence. I didn't know I had opened the door to the County Council to take over my life for a year. After the installation, I was required to have the water tested. The installation churned up all kinds of muck and the water testing service refused to test my 'filtered' water from inside the house. The result was too much Iron, Manganese, and Coliform. I was permitted to have another test. The idea of having a UV filter for the Coliform installed, which would be a hassle with replacing bulbs and reduced water pressure, was no source of pleasure; so, I asked permission from the Council to sterilize the well before the 2nd test. I was told I could but the Engineer knew it would be a waste of time. Guess not, as the results showed the Iron at an acceptable amount and the Coliform was nil. However, though the Manganese was reduced, they said I had to address that problem before issuing the 75% grant repayment (up till then all payments had been out of my pocket).

They had backed me up against a wall because no Manganese treatment device that could have been tacked on was considered reliable. So, after some investigation, I found out that the South Eastern Health Board had determined Iron & Manganese not to be a health hazard; and that the Kilkenny County Council was ignoring the Manganese reports in giving out grants. When I brought this to the attention of the Cork Engineer, he finally acquiesced asking me to sign an indemnity form. NThen, all I had to do was wait for a Council Investigator to come out and inspect that the water pump was installed properly. Check arrived after 11 months of haggling.