'Charge will promote water conservation'
Right: Cllr. Fergal Browne of St. Joseph's NS.
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Tuesday February 02 2010
NEW arrangements will see schools charged per cubic metre of water rather than the annual flat rate of ¤ 4 per pupil that stood for four years.
While a principal of a school in Kildare will find they are charged ¤ 1.49 per cubic metre, a counterpart in a Carlow school faces a bill of ¤2.30 per cubic metre.
Cllr. Fergal Browne, principal of St Joseph's NS in Carlow town, says he is believes the charge is fair as it will promote water conservation.
'On the house front people need to get real,' he said. ' As long as the charge is ring fenced and the money is put back in to the water supply.
'I had no water during the cold snap and I was very glad to see it back.'
St Joseph's NS has applied for a grant from the department for a rain harvester which will collect rain water from the roofs and deposit is in tanks for the toilets.
'People need to be far more aware about water conservation as 40% of water is unaccounted for,' he said.
He added that he believed a fair charge to be key and Carlow charges fall in the middle at ¤2.30.
In Dublin charges are ¤1.64 for the city area, ¤2.34 for Dun Laoghaire, ¤1.94 for Fingal and ¤1.76 for South Dublin. Meath charge ¤2.65 and Wexford ¤2.71.
Clare and Offaly are the two next highest charges at ¤2.98 per cubic metre and ¤2.90 per cubic metre.
