A dispute over the supply of water to rural communities on the Galway-Mayo border led to a protest by about 180 people outside the annual general meeting of a group co-operative scheme late on Wednesday night, writes Ciaran Tierney in Galway.
Householders from the Belmont and Dalgan schemes, who are seeking to break away to form smaller schemes of their own, protested outside the meeting of the Milltown Community Group Water Scheme (MCGWS).
The group schemes in Belmont, Dalgan, Milltown, and Killafrasog amalgamated in May 2002, but over the past year two of these communities have campaigned for the right to set up their own schemes.
Following the discovery of natural springs in the Dalgan area, tests were carried out last week which showed that they could be used for an alternative water supply.
Gardaí were called when workmen hired by locals "cut off" the Dalgan houses from the main group scheme before dawn last Saturday after locals discovered a new source in their own area.
Work was suspended when members of the Milltown group arrived to confront them. About 70 people turned up last Saturday morning to support the workmen, who had cut off the existing supply "in the dead of night" at 4.30 a.m.
However, members of the Milltown committee received word of their activities at daybreak - and five of them arrived at the scene to confront the Dalgan people before gardaí were called.
A spokesperson for the Belmont group, Ms Mary Lydon, said the Milltown committee had refused permission for the Dalgan people to turn off the existing water supply and source their own.
"People were sick of having brown and yellow water coming through their taps," she said.
"They had the old supply disconnected and were well on their way to connecting the Dalgan houses to the new supply when the committee members arrived at 8 a.m. The committee members were very angry and said they would have to stop."
The two factions argued until 3 p.m. on Saturday, during which time six gardaí in two squad cars had arrived at the scene.
A €1 million investment in a water treatment facility for the entire group scheme has already been approved, with construction set to begin early next year.
The committee of the MCGWS issued a statement in which they said they were "legally bound" to serve their members in Milltown, Dalgan, Belmont, and Killafrasog as one group.
"The major issues are the long-term supply of healthy water to the growing community and, secondly, that all health and safety and financial regulations are the responsibility of a readily identifiable legitimate group," said Mr John O'Donnell, secretary of the MCGWS.
He said the MCGWS was concerned whether tests on water being piped to some homes as a result of a forced diversion were adequate. The planned treatment plant would provide "quality water" to all members guaranteed for 20 years, he added.