Just like in the arena of sport, team-work is essential to the success of any industrial or business project. Just ask the professionals at Cavan County Council and EPS The landscape of county Cavan is constantly changing with huge improvements in the local infrastructure not alone highlighting both state and private investment but the co-operation between both parties for the common good. In that respect, the Design, Build and Operate programmes in relation to the upgrading of group water schemes across the county of Cavan continue apace and continue to be highly successful. Whereas in times past, the main focus with regard to improvements in the rural water programme was confined to agricultural use, the focus in recent years has been on the improvement of water sources for human consumption. Like the ever-changing face of Gaelic games in Breffni-land, the story of group water schemes in Cavan is one of evolvement and of increasingly higher standards all-round. In 1997 an EU directive put in train a devolution of responsibilities from the Department for the Environment to county councils for the installation and running of the group water schemes. Ever since that local authorities around the country have been engaged in a hands-on, direct relationship with local group water scheme committees in the pursuit of higher standards in regards to the quality of the water available for domestic consumption in rural Ireland. County councils like Cavan County Council fund 85% of the Design, Build and Operate programmes (DBOs) and the local group water scheme committee raises the balance of the cost. Over the last 24 months, Cavan County Council has been overseeing the Design, Build and Operate aspects of rural water programme upgrades pertaining to south west Cavan, west Cavan and east Cavan. "Each of those three DBOs represent a major investment by all parties concerned and will go a long way to guaranteeing the production of drinking water to EU standard. "As a local authority, we will act as the supervisor of the Design and Build phase and thereafter assist the local group water scheme committee with the procurement of the contract. "Thereafter the contractor operates the scheme for 20 years following its upgrade," explains Paddy Connaughton, Cavan County Council's Rural Water Liaison Manager. Reporting to Peter Gallagher, Senior Engineer Water Service, Cavan County Council, Paddy is assisted in his work on the DBOs by Killygarry native Kevin Smith (Resident Engineer), Laragh's Tommy Costello (Administration Officer), plus a team of technicians and engineers at Cavan County Council. The success of the DBOs and the smooth running of the upgraded schemes for the following 20 years by companies like Electrical Pump Supply Ltd and Veolia is very much a partnership operation. "The success of the DBOs is a great credit to the voluntary members of the various group water schemes and the way we work together is seen as the way forward for the entire rural water programme throughout the county. "The group water scheme committees are run on very efficient, organised lines - a bit like the GAA. "There would be no partnership in existence without the group water committees because they provide the impetus," Paddy adds. An indication of the size and magnitude of the south west Cavan, west Cavan and east Cavan DBOs can be gauged by the fact that they serve some 50% of county Cavan, approximately 28,000 citizens and represent 28 different group water schemes. They are due to be completed by the end of March 2006. Overall, to date over 50 million euros has been invested in the upgrading of various DBOs over the last four years and it is envisaged that all group schemes in Cavan will be fully compliant by the end of this year. "There is no doubt but that the group water schemes have been an outstanding success and they've all stood the test of time. Schemes such as the Annagh group water scheme have proven their worth in supplying quality water to domestic consumers in Ballyhaise as has the Gowlan scheme in relation to the supply of water to Blacklion and the Doobally scheme and its supply of water to Dowra. It's all about partnership," says the well-known Aughawillan GAA officer. Paddy is fulsome in his praise for the contribution made to the success of the DBOs by the contractors concerned (Electrical Pump Supply Ltd - west and south west Cavan DBOs and Veolia - east Cavan DBO) and the consulting engineers plus the group water scheme committee members. His enthusiasm for the whole ethos of the group water scheme upgrades is shared by Director of Electrical Pump Supply Limited,Tadhg Buckley. "The group water schemes have proven themselves to be very good value for money and excellent examples of how partnerships between the state sector, the private sector and the community can work to the mutual benefit of all parties. It's a three-way street with ourselves liaising with the local authority and the group water scheme committees to ensure that that the best quality water is made available and distributed and looked after in an efficient manner." EPS Limited has a proven track record in the business of carrying out DBO programmes and it's success in winning the tender for the south west and west Cavan DBOs fairly reflects its standing as the pre-eminent company in the country in the sphere of water treatment. A service provider par excellence, EPS Ltd has made a huge name for itself over the past 35 years in the business of supplying and installing waste water treatment plants. Over the years it has won many plaudits for its work on waste water treatment plants in Dundalk, Cork, Westport and Limerick, to name but a few high-profile contracts. With offices in Mallow (headquarters), Naas (the newest base, established four years ago), Ballyhaunis, Mountrath and Cookstown, EPS Ltd has a national presence befitting its degree of expertise and reputation. It currently employs 235 people and at present approximately 65% of its work relates to contracts carried out on behalf of local authorities such as Cavan County Council with the rest of the company's business being conducted with organisations in the business and industry sectors. One of three Buckley brothers who founded the firm in 1968 - Patrick and Gerald (M.D of EPS Ltd) are the others - along with Tom Ruddy, Tadhg is rightly proud of how EPS Ltd has grown from very humble beginnings to its current size. One of the landmark moves by EPS Ltd and what proved to be a positively stepping stone in strengthening its position in the marketplace was the acquisition of Lister Tubes in the mid-seventies. "It was a strategic move which proved to be a wise one," Tadhg explains "because it has helped us increase our business by 15 percent overall over the last ten years or thereabouts." A native of Kanturk in county Cork, Tadhg hails from a farming background and was always conscious of the importance of good, clean water for both agricultural and domestic consumption. Ordinarily working from his company's office in Ballyhaunis, Tadhg says the domestic water pump market is a growing sector in the EPS Limited's portfolio of contracts gained and sought after. And with no sign of the boom in the house construction business, it seems like EPS's liaison with would-be householders eager to have their own wells bored and the pumps to do it should mean a further strengthening of EPS's foothold in the marketplace via its distribution agents around the country. Engaged in work ranging from anything up to 18 million euros (industrial) in value to 500 euros (private householder), EPS's star looks certain to continue to rise and rise as even greater emphasis is placed by Government and the EU on environmentally good practices. In that regard, EPS is well positioned to cement its peerless reputation in the treatment plant arena. "We're very happy and proud of the work we've carried out in conjunction with Cavan County Council and the group water scheme committees and I think our relationship with them has developed and strengthened since we engaged in our first contract, the Annagh Group Water Scheme. "The Annagh scheme was a pilot scheme at the time but it has been operating very satisfactorily since its completion over the last 30 months or so," Tadhg confirms, "and we look forward to working with Cavan County Council and local group water scheme committees for many years to come," Tadhg concludes. Tweet

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