Water quality report not acted upon, say Greens

A SCATHING EU report which criticised the quality of water across the country has not been acted upon four months after its publication, according to the Green Party’s deputy leader.

Kilkenny Borough Council, in particular, has not acted on the EU Petitions Group report, which found the quality of drinking water in the city was not up to scratch, according to Cllr Mary White.

But Kilkenny County Council rejects the councillor’s claims, saying she has not even contacted the local authority for an update and is fighting this campaign through the media.

Director of Services Tom Gunning said the local authority began digging test wells several months ago and is about to invite tenders for work on the scheme.

A European delegation visited Galway and Kilkenny four months ago and met with complainants and local authority members in both areas.

Their report a month later accuses the Department of the Environment of failing to provide the public with safe drinking water.

The group also criticises the Department for lacking the will to put things right and accused the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of siding with local authorities more often than not when complaints were aired.

The EPA was also criticised for delays of more than a year in issuing reports on the quality of water, even when contamination was found.

The EU report called into question Ireland’s ‘green’ image and suggested there were a number of reasons for the poor quality of water.

It cited structural problems arising between private group and public water schemes and the lack of clearly defined responsibility at national level for the functioning of local water treatment plants.

Those that remain essentially an exclusive local responsibility.