Passage East residents left crippled by ongoing issues with water supply
Passage East became flooded on Friday, January 30. Photo: Damien Tiernan, WLR
“I never thought of water being such an issue,” says Amy Cunnigham.
“I never really thought of it. I got up on Sunday morning to go to a funeral, I went to have a shower…and there was no water, and there wasn't even enough water to brush my teeth.”
Ms Cunningham is one of many Passage East residents who have been left crippled with increasingly unreliable water pressure in the small coastal village.
Issues with water pressure have been well documented over the years, according to local councillor Declan Barry, but problems have significantly worsened in recent months.
Locals say it has seriously hindered their quality of life.
Reports of undulating water pressure causing showers, washing machines and other kitchen appliances to break prematurely are common.
Those breakdowns have hit the pockets of residents hard.
People in the village are often left without a reliable water supply to shower.
The local café - The Estuary - is sometimes unable to pour a singular cup of coffee due to the lack of flowing water.
Cllr. Barry said Waterford City and County Council are due to host a workshop aiming to address ongoing issues with water supplies across the county, but strong immediate action is unlikely to take place.
On Thursday, January 29, an unannounced water outage took hold of the village.
A day later, residents were left reeling from the effects of flooding caused by Storm Chandra.
The flooding was caused by an overflow from the village’s brook.
Cllr. Barry said fears over the brook’s overflow had been telegraphed days in advance, but the council failed to take preventative action.
Figures obtained by Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane showed that Waterford ranked 22nd of all counties in Ireland in relation to money spent on flood defences between 2020-2025.
€.24 million was spent on flood defence across the period.
Aimee McSweeney moved to Passage East two years ago with her husband. She said water pressure began to significantly worsen in July 2025.
A normal 30-minute spin on a washing machine could take multiple hours due to low water availability. The machine cannot be left unattended in case of a breakdown caused by fluctuating water pressure.
She has frequently had to purchase bottled water to fill up her kettle. Her husband, who works in hospitality, cannot rely on a 60 degree wash for his uniform.
“You might turn on the tap and you're like ‘oh it's back, it's grand’ and throw it on, and then, five minutes later, there's no water… some people aren't able to shower every day because there's no water for them.”
For Ms McSweeney, the issues in Passage East border on the threshold of human rights violations.
According to the United Nations: “Access to water and sanitation are recognised by the UN as human rights – fundamental to everyone’s health, dignity and prosperity.”
In a statement issued to the News & Star, Uisce Éireann (Ireland’s national water utility) said they were “aware of ongoing low water pressure issues impacting customers in Passage East”.
“We understand the inconvenience this is causing for homes and businesses in the area,” the statement read.
“Our teams have been on site investigating the cause of the reduced pressure, which appears to be linked to a blockage on the watermains serving the village.
“Crews are continuing works to clear the obstruction and restore normal supply as quickly and as safely as possible.”
Uisce Éireann did not respond to questions on whether the unreliable water supply constituted human rights violations.
Locals have come to bemoan Uisce Éireann.
Christina Gunnip described incessantly calling the body on multiple occasions, only to receive a reference number for her complaints without an accompanying response.
She said on two occasions Uisce Éireann had sent texts informing her that her complaints had been resolved - despite no work being carried out on the problem.
On another occasion, an Uisce Éireann employee showed up at her residence unannounced. The works carried out only offered temporary respite.
“I had to put a separate tank into my shed just to feed the washing machine…that's the way my washing machine works,” said Ms Gunnip.
“Now we have a separate tank put up over it because I had to have a washing machine. I was bringing my washing everywhere and anywhere for eight months or more.”
For Ms Gunnip, the water’s unreliability affects the facets of everyday life.
Her neighbour, an elderly man in his 90s, can’t use a shower specifically designed to cater to his mobility needs.
Ms Cunningham echoed the same concerns.
Her father-in-law (94) is unable to use the shower by himself. She said if the water cuts out, it can then return at boiling heat and cause serious harm to an elderly person.
Every day he must find an alternative residence to shower.
Ms Cunningham owns Cunningham Auctioneers on Parnell Street. She said her tenants in Passage East have been dealt constant blows.
Over the course of months, she’s replaced three showers and a dishwasher for a family of four living in one of her tenancies. The family were informed by Uisce Éireann that issues with water pressure would not be resolved soon.
Ms Cunningham described communications with Uisce Éireann as “dreadful”, claiming she was held on hold for over an hour and 20 minutes trying to reach customer service.
“What needs to happen here, is all these [affected] people… get all the bills together and send them all into Uisce water [sic]. I think that’ll be a solution because they’re not listening, they’re not listening, and you can’t get through to a person there.”
For many, the light at the end of the tunnel remains far from sight.
As the village seeks to recover from damaging floods, efforts to fix the underlying issues of Passage East’s water supply could exacerbate problems in the medium-term.
“Even if this is rectified now, we could potentially be facing another issue with water in another couple of weeks,” said Ms McSweeney.
