EPA says Irish Water efforts to replace lead pipes has been ‘slow’

Irish Water’s efforts to replace lead in the country’s water network has been “slow”, and more needs to be done to encourage householders to replace the old piping in their homes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The EPA has today published its 2017 Drinking Water Report, which shows that most Irish water supplies are safe, and that drinking water testing throughout 2017 confirmed a high level of compliance with microbiological and chemical standards.

However, it identified the main causes of concerns as lead, pesticides, and trihalomethanes, which are formed as a result of adding chlorine to water containing high levels of organic material.