No guarantee over water compliance to new lead levels

ENNIS’ public water supply is “likely” to be compliant with new stricter limits for acceptable levels of lead set to be introduced across Europe in December, according to Clare County Council.

However, the council have stated that it cannot be guaranteed that every individual house and business supply will be compliant. Sean Ward, senior engineer Water Services for Clare County Council, detailed a report on the change of permissable lead limits to drinking water in December 2013 to members of Ennis Town Council at a recent meeting.

The report was made in response to concerns raised by Councillor Brian Meaney on the implications the new stricter levels will have for water users in the county.

He stated that monitoring results for lead in the Ennis public supply in 2010, 2011 and 2012 comprising five samples per annum taken at drinking water taps in houses and businesses randomly distributed through the town and Clarecastle, have shown that the lead content in all 15 samples was well under 10 micogrammes per litre.

“This indicates that the Ennis public supply is compliant with the existing limit and is likely to continue to be compliant within the stricter limit. However, it cannot be guaranteed that every individual house and business supply will be compliant, as it is possible that passing through long stretches of lead service pipe from the property boundary to the premises could increase the lead content of individual supplies,” he said.

Mr Ward outlined that the water services authority, currently Clare County Council but will be Irish Water after legislation enacted later in 2013, is responsible for water mains and individual service pipes from the connection with the main to the property boundary. The owner or occupier of the property is responsible for the remainder of the service pipe from the property boundary to the premises and for internal plumbing.

Mr Ward reported that the only premises in Ennis known to be served by lead water mains are at Marian Avenue and Linnane’s Terrace and the service pipes at these houses are also lead. Clare County Council has been allocated a budget by the Department of the Environment to replace these lead mains by new PVC mains and when doing so, the lead service pipes will also be replaced.

A first phase of this job was recently done at Aherne’s Terrace which up to then also had a lead main and services, with the work later continuing in Marian Avenue. Elsewhere in the county the council has in previous years replaced shorter streteches of lead main’s in Sixmilebridge and Newmarket.

“As far as is known from surveys done, there are no other lead mains in the county,” Mr Ward stated.

He highlighted that the budget for lead mains replacement at Marian Avenue and the two terraces is part of the Water Conservation programme as the Government does not currently have a programme specifically for replacement of lead pipes.

“There are likely to be several hundreds, if not thousands, of houses and other premises in Clare served by lead service pipes connected to non-lead mains and there is no current programme for replacement of these,” Mr Ward commented.

“The council does not have a budget of its own for this purpose and there is no dedicated Government fund available.

“Whenever opportunities arise to replace lead service pipes these are acted upon – for instance when it is necessary to repair or replace a service pipe due to a burst or leak, or when new mains are being laid and new service pipes must be connected.

“As part of the major Ennis water mains rehabilitation  scheme due to commence in late 2013, which will replace roughly 18 kilometres of mains under the Water Conservation Programme, all lead service pipes found to be connected to the existing mains will be replaced with non lead service pipes off the new mains. However, within our current resources this is the only means by which we can replace lead service pipes – there is no systematic programme to do so.

“Furthermore replacement of lead service pipes on the opportunistic basis outlined can extend only to the property boundary, thus anyone who wishes to completely replace their lead service pipe must bear the cost of replacement from the property boundary into the actual premises.”