EPA raise concerns over lack of monitoring for private water supplies servicing over 1m people

One million Irish people are drinking water from private supplies, many of which are not being monitored to ensure that the water is safe to drink.

That is according to a new report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which found that many private water supplies are not on the local authorities’ register and those that are registered are not monitored sufficiently to ensure safe drinking water. Almost 20% of Ireland’s population is supplied by private water supplies.

The study found that the quality of drinking water in private supplies remains poorer than that in public supplies. Small private supplies can serve commercial and public buildings and facilities such as hotels, B&Bs, schools, créches, pubs, and campsites and are drawn from springs or wells. These supplies have the poorest water quality of all private water supply types.

The EPA found that E. coli was found in 51 of these small private water supplies. No E.coli testing results were reported to local authorities for 711 small private water supplies, which represents 27% of known regulated private supplies.

Where monitoring was carried out, it shows that private water supplies, to commercial businesses or to buildings to which the public has access, are at greater risk of being contaminated than public water supplies.

The EPA pointed out that an estimated 15% to 30% of the 172,000 private household wells in the country are contaminated by E.coli, while two-thirds of these wells are at risk of contamination.

Consumption of water that contains E.coli generally leads to gastrointestinal illness, but in a small number of cases it can result in severe and long-term kidney failure.

Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement, Tom Ryan, said the findings were very concerning and unmonitored water supplies posed a serious public health risk.

We are concerned about the continuing poor quality of drinking water in private supplies serving commercial or public activities such as crèches, nursing homes, and hotels,” said Dr Ryan. “Our report found that many of these supplies are not being monitored for water quality.

“The consumption of water of unknown quality poses a serious health risk to consumers, particularly vulnerable people such as the young and elderly.”

Programme manager of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement, Darragh Page, said: “We know that there are a number of private supplies not on the local authority register. We would encourage all private water suppliers and local authorities to ensure that all private water supplies are on the register and are tested regularly.

“It is essential that all water supplies are tested to confirm that consumers’ health is not being put at risk. Where water supplies are contaminated, water suppliers should take action to protect consumers.”