§ MR. T. M. HEALY (Louth, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that Enagh Lough, from which it is proposed to obtain water for the proposed Asylum for Londonderry County, is a stagnant pond used by the neighbouring farmers for damming flax in, and that the water is totally unfit for human use; and whether, in face of the present want of water at the City Supply and proposals to fetch water some 20 miles to supply the City, the Government will give their sanction for building the asylum where proposed at Gransha?
THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. JOHN MORLEY, New-castle-upon-Tyne)It has been decided by the Board of Control to build the new Londonderry Asylum at Gransha, provided the Board is satisfied as to the sufficiency and purity of the water supply. A very competent expert has prepared a scheme by which the asylum will obtain an excellent water supply from the Waterside Reservoir. The Board is still in communication with the Corporation of Derry as to the legal powers vested in the Corporation to increase the Waterside Reservoir so as to yield a sufficient supply under this scheme for the asylum. It may be noted that the supply for the Waterside suburb is quite distinct from the supply of Derry City proper; the quality and quantity of which have been made the subject of unfavourable comment. The proposal to use the Lough Enagh water has been abandoned.