E.coli cases down by 90% since 2005

Occurrences of contamination of public water supplies in Clare with the potentially dangerous E.coli bacteria is down by almost 90% since 2005, according to a report released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
EPA regional inspector Niall Dunne pinpointed the drop in the level of E.coli contamination to “better management, processes, monitoring, treatment and disinfection by Clare County Council”.
The report also shows that drinking water in Clare achieved 100% compliance in microbiological parameters, the same as it was in 2010, and 100% compliance with chemical parameters, which is also an increase in quality compared with 99.1% two years ago.
However, Mr Dunne cautioned that while there have been improvements in the quality of drinking water from private supplies, “it remains inferior to that from public supplies”. Contaminated private well water, he admitted, “is a growing cause for concern”.
“It is great news for people in Clare that the number of occurrences of E.coli in public supplies is down by almost 90% since 2005. We want to let people in Clare know that the next steps are to secure these gains by Clare County Council, which were achieved after they adopted a water safety plan, which sets out the risks and any operational, maintenance or infrastructural improvements required along the supply chain to manage the risks identified,” he outlined.
Mr Dunne continued, “While there have been improvements in the quality of drinking water from private supplies, it remains inferior to that from public supplies and contaminated private well water is a growing cause for concern.  This year, the HSE reported a doubling of the number of VTEC cases. VTEC is a harmful member of the E.coli family and may cause severe illness. Bad weather is also a major challenge, particularly for vulnerable water sources. The EPA asks all those in Clare who are owners of private wells and not on public supplies to check the water source for potential sources of pollution and to get their water tested.”
The full report, The Provision and Quality of Drinking Water in Ireland, A Report for the Year 2011, is available on the EPA website at www.epa.ie/downloads/pubs/water/drinking/Drinking%20Water_web.pdf. It contains summary reports for all water service authorities.