Environment - Thurles Information

Increased Vigilance By Irish Water & Local Authorities To Protect Public Health.

Drinking water quality is high but increased vigilance is needed by Irish Water and Local Authorities to protect public health, says EPA.

The quality of drinking water from public supplies remains high, with over 99.7% of samples compliant with bacterial and chemical limits.
Two significant incidents during 2021 at the Gorey and Ballymore Eustace water treatment plants put the health of approximately 885,000 people at risk, highlighting significant failings in oversight and management by Irish Water.
The number of supplies breaching THM standards increased in 2021, reversing all progress seen in recent years.
Progress to remove lead from drinking water networks is too slow, with the need for stronger leadership at national level.
The number of people served by “at-risk” supplies on the EPA’s Remedial Action List (RAL) has reduced, arising from upgrade works at two large water supplies: Leixlip and Vartry water treatment plants.

**Our Lady’s Well, Thurles, Co. Tipperary**. *Pic: George Willoughby*

List of water supplies currently on a Boil Water Notice or Water Restriction in Co. Tipperary as of 28/09/2022 are: –
Tipperary – Glenary – Population affected 10,564.
Tipperary- Horse & Jockey PWS – Population affected 648.
Tipperary- Clonmel – Poulavanogue – Population affected 96.

The EPA Drinking Water Quality in Public Supplies Report 2021, released today, shows that the quality of drinking water in public supplies remains high, with over 99.7% compliance with bacterial and chemical limits. The continued high levels of water quality being achieved are positive for consumers and indicate that water is safe to drink.

However, there were two significant incidents during 2021 at the Gorey and Ballymore Eustace water treatment plants that put the health of approximately 885,000 people at risk, with community illness and hospitalisations occurring in the Gorey incident. These highlighted significant failings in oversight and management by Irish Water and local authorities.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) instructed Irish Water to implement a number of actions at all supplies, to prevent the reoccurrence of similar issues. As a result of these actions, more drinking water quality issues were detected and reported, with the number of Boil Water Notices increasing significantly in the last quarter of 2021. The total number of people affected by Boil Water Notices in 2021 was approx. 211,000.

Launching the report, Dr Tom Ryan, EPA Director said:
“The serious incidents at Gorey and Ballymore Eustace water treatment plants last year, which resulted in unsafe water being released for consumption, have highlighted Irish Water’s fundamental obligation to ensure our public water supplies are properly operated, and managed, to protect public health. Increased vigilance is needed by Irish Water and Local Authorities in their oversight and management of plant operations to ensure incidents are dealt with appropriately and in a timely manner.”

Dr Ryan added: “Boil water notices are affecting an increasing number of consumers and while we recognise the challenges these present to individuals and communities, they are necessary to protect public health. High incidences of boil water notices will remain with us until Irish Water improves the resilience of drinking water plants.”

While water is safe today, the EPA’s Remedial Action List of “at-risk” supplies identifies where long-term improvements are needed in our drinking water infrastructure to protect public health.
Following EPA targeted enforcement, supplies upgraded in 2021 include Vartry (serves approx. 127,000) and Leixlip (serves approx. 590,000) water treatment plants. At the end of 2021, there were 52 “at-risk” supplies serving approx. 375,000 people down from 1,000,000 consumers in 2020.
However, the latest publication of the RAL (Sept 2022) has seen some of this progress eroded, with the population served by “at-risk” supplies increasing to approx. 575,000.
Furthermore, the length of time it takes to implement improvements at supplies is not acceptable to the EPA, as it means these supplies remain vulnerable for longer.
The EPA requires that Irish Water targets investment and resources to both reduce the number of supplies on the RAL, and the time it takes to implement these improvements.
Mr Noel Byrne, EPA Programme Manager, said: “It is welcome to see how targeted enforcement has led to significant improvements at large supplies such as Leixlip and Vartry, supporting the security of these critical water supplies into the future. However, in order for supplies to be secure into the future, Irish Water must resolve the “at-risk” supplies on the RAL and ensure that future actions are targeted where they are most needed to protect public health. In particular, the deterioration in compliance with THM standards needs to be addressed as a matter of priority.”

Lead in drinking water causes a cumulative risk to human health. The EPA is highlighting the slow rate of lead replacement by Irish Water, as it will take almost a quarter of a century to address the risks posed to public health from lead in drinking water at the replacement rate observed in 2021. In addition, leadership is required at a national level by relevant Departments to address this issue. A report from these Departments on assessments of lead pipework in public buildings and plans to remove lead from these buildings is overdue.
The EPA Drinking Water Quality in Public Supplies Report 2021 and the complete list of public water supplies currently on the Remedial Action List – including details of the proposed remedial measures and associated timeframes – are available HERE on the EPA website.

River Suir Song

The Song of the Suir

by L. M. McCraith
(Possibly written and published around 1912)

**River Suir, south of the *‘Swinging Gates’* Thurles Town, Co. Tipperary**.
*Pic: George Willoughby*

The Song of the Suir
If you hear the river scene in youth’s sweet spring,
When primrose gold is all you seek, the primrose gold that fairies fling,
In this Old Land, the Ever Young, hear when the fresh cheek flushes –
The ripple of the river through the rushes.

You can hear it at high noon in sunny June,
While swallows skim, and salmon leap, or underneath the lover’s moon,
When you picture loved one’s blushes, and hear through songs of thrushes –
The ripple of the river through the rushes.

You may hear it in the fall recalling all –
Old scenes, old friends, old ways, old days, old hopes come back at its soft call,
Just an echo! Yet the yearning for it sweets the heart in gushes –
The ripple of the river through the rushes.

You shall hear it through the cold when you are old,
Though storm and stress and winter frost and chill that comes from greed of gold.
Shall hear, who heard it long ago, till death your heaving hushes –
The ripple of the river through the rushes.

END

Work Begins On Bowe’s Corner, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

The half million funding for Bowe’s Corner, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, first trumpeted by all local TD’s; of all political persuasions, at the start of this year, 2022, saw the final design completed in June last.
According to Tipperary County Council, Rathcabbin Tarmacadam Limited, first set up in July 1999, have been appointed as contractors.

Materials being used on the project e.g. paving, kerbing etc. are to be similar to that already used on the half completed Liberty Square projected.

Work was expected to start in July, with drainage works, ducting, excavation etc., followed on with the kerbing and paving.

Little in the new plan shown above is expected to change, over what currently now exists, however there will be a few exceptions: –

The existing junctions will be tightened with current signage moved and upgraded.
The pedestrian crossing currently in-situ on Friar Street; close to Lacey’s Butcher’s Shop, will be moved closer to the existing junction.
A new pedestrian crossing will be introduced on Abbey Road, railway bridge.
All pedestrian crossings will remain uncontrolled.
Additional public lighting will be provided.
The entire junction will be a raised table.

Major delays are expected for traffic using the area.

Ireland Should Move Towards Achieving Health-Based WHO Air Quality Guidelines.

Air quality in Ireland is generally good, however, there are concerning localised issues that are impacting negatively on the air we breathe.
Ireland met all of its EU legal requirements in 2021, but it did not meet the new health-based WHO guidelines.
Ireland and Europe should move towards achieving the health-based WHO air quality guidelines.
It is estimated that there are approximately 1,300 premature deaths annually in Ireland due to poor air quality from fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
The choices we make in how we heat our homes and how we travel directly impacts the quality of the air we breathe.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today launched its annual air quality report ‘Air Quality in Ireland 2021’.

The report shows that, while air quality in Ireland is generally good and compares favourably with many of our European neighbours, there are concerning localised issues, which lead to poor air quality.

While Ireland met EU legal air quality limits in 2021, it did not meet the health-based World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines for a number of pollutants including: particulate matter (PM), nitrogen Dioxide (N02), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and ozone (O3), due to the burning of solid fuel in our towns and villages and traffic in our cities.

Poor air quality has a negative impact on people’s health and there are an estimated 1,300 premature deaths in Ireland per year due to particulate matter in our air. Air monitoring results in 2021 from EPA stations across Ireland show that fine particulate matter (PM2.5), mainly from burning solid fuel in our homes, and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) mainly from road traffic, remain the main threats to good air quality.

Launching the report, Air Quality in Ireland 2021, Dr Micheál Lehane, Director of the EPA’s Office of Radiation Protection & Environmental Monitoring, said, “The EPA’s air quality monitoring carried out in 2021 has shown that Ireland met all of its EU legal requirements in 2021. However, we would not have met the new WHO air quality guidelines for health. Meeting the new WHO guidelines for air quality will be a major challenge for the country, however the report identifies a number of solutions to move towards these guideline levels”.

In the report the EPA states that:

Ireland and Europe should move towards achieving the health-based WHO air quality guidelines.
The planned National Clean Air Strategy for Ireland needs to be published and fully implemented.
Local Authorities must provide more resources to increase air enforcement activities.
National investment in clean public transport is needed across the country.

Mr Pat Byrne, EPA Programme Manager, said, “Air quality in Ireland is generally good, however, there are localised issues that are impacting negatively on air quality and our health. In our towns and villages monitoring identifies high levels of particulate matter associated with burning solid fuels and in our larger cities high levels of nitrogen dioxide is associated with road traffic. There are options and solutions to help improve the air we breathe. Changes we make to how we heat our homes and finding alternative ways to travel can immediately impact our local air quality”.

The EPA’s Air Quality in Ireland 2021 report is now available HERE on the EPA website.

The EPA continually monitors air quality across Ireland and provides the air quality index for health and real-time results online HERE.
Results are updated hourly on the website, and people can log on at any time to check whether the current air quality is good, fair or poor.
You can also find out how to improve air quality from the EPA’s “How we can improve the air we breathe infographic” or check out the ‘ABC for Cleaner Air’ campaign from the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, which highlights some simple steps we can all make and help reduce pollution from solid fuels.

Further information: Emily Williamson, EPA Media Relations Office: Tel: 053-91 70770 (24 hours) and media@epa.ie

Pharma MSD Open Ireland’s Largest Solar Generation Project In Tipperary.

Pharma giant MSD (the international name for US-based pharma and healthcare giant Merck & Co., Inc.) has officially opened Ireland’s largest self-generation solar project, at its Ballydine site, here in south Co. Tipperary.

Working in partnership with the state owned electricity company ESB (Electricity Supply Board), latter Ireland’s foremost energy company; MSD have built the 7.3MW ground-mounted solar PV array, to support the Ballydine factory facility in significantly reducing its carbon footprint.
Same is in line with MSD’s announcement just last year to achieve carbon neutrality, across its whole manufacturing operation by the year 2025.

MSD estimate that the system could generate approximately 7.9GWh of clean, renewable electricity thus producing some 20% of its energy requirements from renewable energy sources.

MSD employs more than 2,800 staff across six sites in Ireland, with bases in Tipperary, Carlow, Cork, Meath and Dublin and to date MSD have invested more than $4bn into its Irish operations, which manufacture around half of its top 20 products.