Just 40% of supplies fitted with alarms

JUST 40% of the country’s public water supplies have chlorine monitors and alarms fitted to ensure that the water is properly disinfected, the State’s environmental watchdog has revealed.

Disinfection is the key treatment stage at water plants and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found this could not be guaranteed at a large number of treatment plants.

Chlorine monitors and alarms alert the operator of the plant to inadequate treatment of the supply, even when the plant is unattended.

The EPA has already instructed all local authorities to install chlorine monitors and alarms by the end of the year.

It has threatened to take legal action against those suppliers that have not installed the appropriate warning systems.

Last year, Galway County Council was successfully prosecuted by the EPA for failing to comply with a direction to install the equipment.

EPA programme manager and co-author of the authority’s latest drinking water report, Gerard O’Leary, said the introduction of the monitors and alarms in every treatment plant would result in a dramatic reduction, both in the amount of E Coli in the water and the number of boil water notices issued.

“We expect that by the end of the year every public water supply will have these alarms.

“And those who fail to install them will face sanction from the EPA, up to and including prosecution,” he warned.

Under the drinking water regulations, local authorities must notify the EPA where there has been a failure to meet a quality standard.