Residents ‘pay €100 a month for water’
The 250 households connected to the Kilfinny group scheme are faced with having to pay up to €100 a month each on bottled water until a major overhaul of the scheme is completed later this year.
The Health Service Executive Mid-West placed boil notices on the Kilfinny supply last October, after an outbreak of ecoli. Up to 20 local people contracted the infection. Two babies had to be treated at Temple Street Children’s Hospital in Dublin.
Although the water supply was not directly linked to the outbreak, the HSE placed a boil notice. This has not been lifted although ongoing tests have been carried out on the quality of the water.
Limerick County Council has commenced an upgrade of 19 group water schemes.
A spokesman for the council said: “These are being carried out in three separate groupings. Work on six of the schemes will be completed next month and work will then commence on the second group out of the 19 schemes, which will include Kilfinny.”
More than 1,500 homes receive their water supply from the schemes.
Cllr Tom Neville, whose own supply is subject to a boil notice, said: “The Kilfinny scheme was listed on the third group to be upgraded, but the council agreed to a request from me to bring forward work on the Kilfinny scheme, and this will be carried out before the end of the year.”
Mr Neville said households were paying on average e4 each a day on bottled water while the notice stands.
“This comes to more than e100 a month and it is hard on some people, particularly the elderly. But we have to put up with it because the HSE has the boil notice. The water is heavily chlorinated. It is a nuisance, but it is better to take these precautions rather than be sorry afterwards.
“Obviously the HSE have scientific evidence to back up their decision to keep the boil notice in operation.”
The remedial work on the 19 schemes provides for ongoing maintenance work over the next 20 years.
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