Uisce Éireann has welcomed the removal of a further 25,763 customers in eight water supplies nationwide from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Remedial Action List (RAL).
The utility has said that the list reflects the “huge progress” made in improving processes for testing and monitoring water supplies, improving drinking water quality and protecting public health.
The RAL identifies water supplies which require further upgrades in order to ensure full compliance with drinking water standards now and into the future.
While the drinking water supplied by water treatment plants on the list is generally safe to drink (with the exception of those supplies which have current restriction notices in place), Uisce Éireann’s enhanced assessment of its performance, overseen by the EPA, has identified additional measures which need to be put in place to ensure the safety and security of these supplies into the future.
The updated RAL now contains 50 water supply zones, serving 540,687 people, which represents an overall decrease of seven supplies and 25,763 people served by ‘at risk’ supplies since the list was previously updated in February.
For each of the schemes remaining on the RAL, a detailed plan of action is being prepared to implement all necessary improvement measures as quickly as possible.
Schemes removed from Remedial Action List
The schemes removed from the latest RAL include: Corofin, Co. Clare; Killavullen, Co. Cork; Fermoy, Co. Cork; Kilkenny City (Radestown), Co. Kilkenny; Glengar, Co. Tipperary; Graiguenageeha, Co. Waterford; Aughrim/Annacurra, Co. Wicklow; and Ballymorris, Co. Wicklow.
In all these cases, targeted investment by Uisce Éireann has led to significant improvements in the security and quality of local water supplies that will benefit local homes and businesses now and for many years to come, the utility has stated.
There has been one supply added to the RAL – Adare, Co. Limerick. For this supply – and all other supplies that remain on the list – Uisce Éireann said it is progressing action plans to address any underlying issues and ensure resilient water supplies for the communities they serve.
Uisce Éireann’s drinking water compliance senior manager, D.r Patrick O’Sullivan said: “We’re delighted to confirm over 25,000 more people have been removed from the Remedial Action List and can now rest easy in the knowledge that their drinking water meets the highest standards of quality and safety.
“In Uisce Éireann we are committed to ensuring that all our customers have safe, clean drinking water. An essential step in achieving this is putting a robust testing and monitoring regime in place to ensure that any existing risks can be found and remedied.
“Ireland has 702 water treatment plants, producing 1.7 billion litres of drinking water every day. The vast majority of this water – 99.7% – is fully compliant with microbiological and chemical standards and is safe to drink,” he added.
“We know that some of our water treatment plants need additional investment and we are working hard to bring all these plants fully up to modern standards.”
Dr. O’Sullivan acknowledged that this can be a challenge in some areas due to the age of the infrastructure and decades of what he described as “under-investment”.
“However by implementing world-class standard standards for testing and monitoring, as well as day-to-day operational oversight, we are making excellent progress and continuing to improve overall drinking water standards for all our customers nationwide,” he continued.
What is the Remedial Action List?
The Remedial Action List identifies drinking water supplies that are at risk of failing to consistently supply safe, clean drinking water.
The presence of a supply on the RAL does not mean the water is unsafe to drink. In fact, over 99.7% of supplies remain safe to drink and do not present any risk to health, Uisce Éireann has stated.
This list identifies supplies that the EPA deem as being ‘at risk’ and must be improved to ensure that water supplies continue to be safe to drink and are also secure in the future.
Where drinking water quality deficiencies are found due to Uisce Éireann’s improved testing and sampling regime, a Boil Water Notice or ‘Do Not Consume’ notice may be issued to protect public health.
The RAL now contains 50 water supply zones and serves 540,687 people.