THE Minister for the Environment badly miscalculated rural anger over "unequal" water charges, the first conference of the National Federation of Group Water Schemes was told.
About 120 delegates from group schemes in all the western counties, as well as Offaly, Limerick, Meath, Westmeath, Tipperary, Wexford, Laois, Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Monaghan, Cavan and Louth, attended the conference in Athlone yesterday.
The federation's chairman, Mr Bernard Keeley, said Mr Howlin's abolition of some water charges last month was a "rushed, botched" move which had backfired.
At the time he asked the Department what analysis was used in reaching that decision. "I got no answer because we were all excluded from the consultation process which John Bruton claimed on Friday had taken place," he said.
Addressing his remarks directly to Mr Howlin, Mr Keeley said he wanted to "cool" the situation. He called for detailed consultations.
"Minister, to put it simply, chaos exists in relation to group water scheme policy coming out of your Department ... you know and I know that the State does not have the funding to take over group schemes.
"Anyway, they are in the main private property and they were paid for by their members who invested in the capital building of them.
"We're asking the Department of the Environment formally do not further shirk your responsibilities to group water schemes by developing an underfinanced, ill planned, ill thought method of funding.
He called on Mr Bruton and Mr Howlin to step back and consider, the damage they had caused to the voluntary ethos which underlay the group schemes.
"You are very close to destroying years of work, dedication, and voluntary effort in the schemes if this is not handled properly and calm restored. Let's proceed in the spirit of partnership from today."
Mr Keeley repeatedly stressed that he had no political connections. He said any attempt to suggest otherwise was false and misleading.
He gave a detailed account of events last week and said he had a duty to highlight the issue as best he could. "This is not an attack on Fine Gael," he said.
Farming organisations and a number of opposition politicians expressed strong support for the federation's demands. PD councillor Mr Joe Burke said his party estimated it could cost £23 million a year to fund the maintenance of group water schemes on which up to 500,000 people depended.
Despite this high cost, he said his party "fully supported" the campaign. "It's wholly unacceptable that rural dwellers are now subsidising free water for town dwellers, through the payment of their road taxes," Mr Burke said.
Former Fianna Fail Minister of State Mr Terry Leydon said the next government would have to bring forward detailed legislation to deal with the group schemes.
The PD chairman of Galway County Council, Mr Willy Burke, said the chairmen of seven local authorities in the west and northwest were seeking a meeting with Mr Howlin to discuss their concerns over the group water schemes. He estimated it could cost up to £70 million in capital costs to take group water schemes into public ownership.
The vice chairman of the IFA, Mr Michael Slattery, said it was insulting to suggest the campaign was all about getting free water for rich farmers, as had been suggesting in the media.
His comments were echoed by a spokesman from the ICMSA. "We're not looking for free water for all farmers we're looking for equality of treatment," he said.