A West Clare councillor has called on Clare County Council to write to Uisce Éireann requesting an urgent update on their timeline for the delivery of action places as directed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and at the same meeting, another councillor referred to the water company “an absolute disaster”.
Councillor Rita McInerney (FF) told the May meeting of the West Clare Municipal District (MD) that in light of the 2023 EPA site visits and reports for the West Clare Regional Water Supplies on water quality and incidents, with actions required by October 27, 2023, the local authority ought to request an urgent update from Uisce Éireann on the timeline for the delivery of these action plans.
She has also called on the water company to answer the EPA’s recommendations, and is looking to see information from the water company including THM parameter values, completion data, monitoring details, prevention measures, monitoring of cryptosporidium, and operational information.
“Water is one of our basic needs and we all got a piece of the EPA report but what happened with it? Look at West Clare alone, and North Clare is not much better. When water is coming out of taps it is black and brown and there are a lot of outages at Doonbeg. We should not have that in 2024. We have enough of water – it falls from the sky,” she says.
“People have huge costs, look at the cost of living, and people are buying water by the bucket load, literally. We are hugely fortunate with the staff we have at Clare County Council.
“So I suppose it is about creating relationships at local level, and I am concerned about how is that relationship going forward. I am also concerned about the quality of water, and I call on Uisce Éireann to answer how these recommendations have been implemented by the EPA.”
Kilrush councillor and An Cathaoirleach for West Clare, Ian Lynch (Ind) seconded the motion saying he had written to Uisce Éireann as well and “you email, you ring, and four days later hear it is sorted. The whole thing with Uisce Éireann is as an absolute disaster really,” he said.
The Kilrush councillor explained there were “huge concerns” back in July 2023 following the audit by the regulatory authority, and she wants Uisce Éireann to confirm that THM levels at the local West Clare plants are accurate.
THMs or trihalomethanes are chemical compounds formed when chlorine used in the disinfection of the drinking water supply reacts with a high level of organic matter in the water source like vegetation and leaves.
The parametric values of THMs in drinking water supplies which should not be exceeded is 100ppb (parts per billion).
The human health concern around THMs is that long-term exposure to high levels of the chemical compounds in drinking water may pose risks in particular colon and bladder cancer risks, and cause skin irritation and gastrointestinal problems.
The EPA has for years highlighted the issues with THMs nationally having done an independent analysis of the data coming from Uisce Éireann. An estimated 80% of Ireland’s public water supply comes from rivers and lakes which is why it is a big issue in Ireland in comparison to other EU countries.
As reported by The Clare Champion in early February, two West Clare water supplies are on the EPA Uisce Éireann Remedial Action List which is a record of the public water supplies known to be at risk where the EPA is requiring Uisce Éireann to take corrective action.
The two water supply plants in question in West Clare are the New Water Treatment Plant and Old Water Treatment Plant at Doolough. The new and the old plant schemes were assessed in the second quarter of 2023, and in both supplies, the EPA audit observed elevated levels of trihalomethanes (THMs) which were above the standard in drinking water relegations.
The new plant serves a population of 8,70,2 and the old plant a population of 3,028. The proposed action programme for the new plant, as recommended by the EPA is for chemical optimisation works at the plant, and network flushing is ongoing however, Uisce Éireann has yet to submit the proposed completion date.
Meanwhile, the proposed action programme for the old plant is to replace the existing plant with a new package plant, and with a proposed completion date of December 2026. The report also noted that both schemes have treatment and management issues.
The EPA has instructed Uisce Éireann to submit an action programme for the improvement of each of the supplies on the general list and has initiated enforcement action where action programmes were not being prepared.
In reply to the motion, Senior Executive Officer at West Clare MD Kilrush, John O’Malley said that if members of the MD are in agreement, he will write to Uisce Éireann with the request and revert back to members with any feedback received.
Sharon Dolan D’Arcy covers West Clare news. After completing a masters in journalism at University of Galway, Sharon worked as a court reporter at the Sligo Weekender. She was also editor of the Athenry News and Views.