Unmonitored private drinking water supplies are a potential risk to public health, says Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Many people in Ireland get drinking water from small private supplies which are not registered or monitored and may therefore be putting their health at risk.
Only 1,665 small private supplies are registered with local authorities across the country. Unregistered supplies are not being monitored by local authorities.
The number of private group schemes with E. coli failures increased in 2023, impacting approximately 4,600 people.
21 private group schemes, supplying 22,000, people failed the standard for Trihalomethanes (THMs) – up from 16 schemes serving 16,000 people in 2022.
€38.5 million of available Government funding that could have been invested in improvements to private supplies between 2019-2023 was not used.
There are over 370 group water schemes supplying drinking water to 190,000 people across rural communities in Ireland today.
In addition, many commercial and public premises supply water to the public from their own drinking water well. These are called small private supplies and can include schools, creches, nursing homes, self-catering accommodation and sports clubs. Only 1,665 small private supplies are registered nationally, and the total number remains unknown. Unregistered supplies are not being monitored by local authorities, creating a potential public health risk for consumers.
E. coli: One in twenty small private supplies and private group schemes failed to meet E. coli standards in 2023. Twenty-two private group schemes failed the standard for E. coli, putting the health of approximately 4,600 consumers at risk.
E. coli failures were recorded in 71 small private supplies, that were monitored by local authorities, posing a risk to consumers that use these supplies. Meeting E. coli standards is a minimum requirement in the provision of safe drinking water and failures indicate a lack of proper disinfection.
Trihalomethanes (THM) In 2023, 21 private group schemes supplying 22,000 people failed the standard for Trihalomethanes (THMs), up from 16 schemes serving 16,000 people in 2022. There is a legal limit for THMs which suppliers must meet in order to protect public health. Greater effort is needed by these private group schemes to improve treatment systems and minimise exposure to THMs.
Launching the report, Dr Tom Ryan, EPA Director said: “All drinking water produced in Ireland, whether it comes from a public or private supply, should be of high quality. Urgent action is needed by suppliers and local authorities to address these failings, in order to protect the public health of consumers. Local authorities must take proactive steps to identify and register small private supplies in their areas and the legislation needs to be amended to make it an offence for a supplier not to be registered, in the interests of public health.”
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage’s review of the rural water sector, completed in January 2023, identifies key issues that must be addressed to improve water quality. While some issues have been progressed, such as simplifying the application process for funding of upgrades for groups schemes; remaining issues must be tackled if improvements in private water quality are to be achieved.
Mr Noel Byrne, Programme Manager of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said: “It is very disappointing to see an underspend of €38.5 million of Government support when there are ongoing water quality issues in group water schemes. The EPA welcomes recent improvements to the application process which should make it easier for group water schemes to access funding and deliver improved drinking water quality. However, every effort is needed by suppliers, local authorities, and the Department to get funding to the schemes that need it most.”
The EPA report on Drinking Water Quality in Private Group Schemes and Small Private Supplies – 2023 is available on the EPA website.
A Cara, Cashel Library aims to partner with Failte Isteach, in the Autumn of 2024, to run conversational English classes with migrants and refugees.
To this end we are looking for people who wish to volunteer to support migrants and refugees, through conversational English classes. Training and resources will be provided free.
If interested please reply to me, Tel: 062-63825, with your name and contact details, before Wednesday July 31st, 2024.
‘Little Egret‘. Extract from a poem by Johno Brett. “Standing tall and proud at the water’s edge, Plumage stark white against the salt marsh, Jet black legs and yellow feet, With a sharp stabbing beak, Stands the Little Egret.”
Little Egret(Egretta garzetta) Feeds In Thurles Town Centre. Pic: G. Willoughby
The little egret (Egretta garzetta) is a species of small heron, white in colour with a slender black beak, long black legs and yellow feet. Every day this week, usually between the hours of 4:00pm and 7:00pm, one such bird can be observed fishing in the shallow water of the river Suir, close to Barry’s Bridge, in the centre of Thurles Town.
Research shows that the little egret was once very common in Ireland, but became extinct through a combination of over-hunting in the late medieval period. In England the inclusion of some 1,000 egrets in a banquet to celebrate the enthronement of George Neville as Archbishop of York at Cawood Castle in 1465, indicates the presence of a sizeable population in northern England at that period in time. They were also listed in the coronation feast of King Henry VI in 1429 and by the mid-16th century, they had become scarce and nearly extinct.
Little EgretClad In Black stockings & Yellow Shoes. Pic: G. Willoughby
From the 17th century onwards the plumes of the little egret and its close relatives were in demand for the decorating of hats and became a major craze in Victorian times with the number of egret skins passing through dealers hands reaching into the millions annually, reducing the population of the species to almost extinction and stimulating the establishment of Britain’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in 1889.
Sometime in the 1950s, conservation laws were introduced in southern Europe to protect the species and since then their numbers began to increase. By the beginning of the 21st century the breed began expand westward, breeding again in the UK back in the 1960s before arriving in Ireland in more recent years.
Little egrets stalk their prey in shallow water, often observed shuffling their feet in an effort to disturb small fish, or may stand still and simply wait to ambush other available prey which include frogs, crustaceans, molluscs, insects, spiders and worms.
Here in Ireland, the species bred for the first time in 1997 at a site in Co. Cork and the population has expanded rapidly since, aided by climate change, and is now breeding in other Irish counties, since 2010, despite the severe cold winter weather experienced during the years 2010 – 2012.
Reports coming in from the public, confirm a worrying increase in Covid cases here in Thurles since Tuesday last.
Fresh Covid-19 wave had been forecast to hit Ireland this summer.
Nationally, 22 Covid-19 cases are confirmed as being in hospital intensive care units, by the HSE, (Figure recorded at 11:30am today, Thursday July 11th, 2024). Confirmed Cases in our hospitals are recorded at 361 Covid-19 cases, (Recorded at 8:00am today Thursday, July 11th, 2024).
At the end of June last (2024), Ireland’s health officials sounded a serious warning after reporting a sharp increase in confirmed Covid cases and hospitalisations. Experts warned that Covid transmission, while presently at moderate to high levels within Ireland; due an increase in travel and attendances at other large social events such as musical festivals, (both which results in crowded settings) the virus is permitted to spread more easily.
The specialist service for the surveillance of communicable diseases have advised anyone with possible symptoms of Covid, (even mild ones), to stay at home until at least 48 hours after their symptoms are mostly or fully gone. Symptom – sufferers should also avoid contact with other people, especially people at higher risk from COVID-19.
Note:The majority of retail outlets in Thurles no longer provide hand sanitizer for their customers.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Recent Comments