€6m water pollution works to begin

Following a public outcry over a lack of urgency in tackling lead pollution of the water supply to 750 homes in two estates in Limerick, Irish Water has said it is bringing forward the €6m remedial work originally scheduled for completion in 2016.

The supply will now be restored by the end of December.

Over 2,500 residents in the neighbouring estates of Ballynanty and Kileely have been warned by the HSE not to use the tap supply due to high levels of lead.

Irish Water originally said work would commence in September to replace pipes in Ballynanty and it would be next year before work would begin in Kileely.

The company said it would be 2016 before the work would be completed.

After a storm of protest, Irish Water has now said work on both estates would commence next week.

Catherine Walsh, regional operations manager Irish Water, said a contractor will be in place next week in Ballynanty.

She said: “The work will take about three months to complete and it can’t be done any faster. It will be completed by the end of the year.”

“We are also accelerating work in Kileely where a similar issue was discovered last Friday and it will be resolved in the same time scale.”

Ms Walsh denied that time had been lost in taking action, once tests had shown higher than permitted levels of lead.

Ms Walsh said the supply in the mains and the connecting pipes to property boundaries was good.

She said lead pipes inside the properties were the responsibility of the individudal house holder.

However, she said because there is an issue of the mains serving pipes at the back of the houses, Irish Water will carry out all the remedial work.