Bacteria in water supplies poses health risk to thousands of people, warns EPA

The EPA found  20 of the 380 private group water schemes across the country, serving about 2,900 people, were of 'significant concern' because of the levels of E.Coli detected.

Thousands of people using group and private water supplies in Ireland are at risk because of E.coli contamination, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said.

The EPA's latest available data showed that 20 of the 380 private group water schemes across the country, serving about 2,900 people, were of "significant concern" because of the levels of the bacteria detected, while 49 of the 1,225 small private supplies were contaminated.

These failures at one in 20 private water supplies put the health of the consumer at risk, the EPA said.

The supplies with failures are mostly concentrated in the North-West of the country, it added.

Group water schemes, which are privately owned and operated, serve about 200,000 people in rural areas. 

According to Irish Water, "the Group Water Schemes’ Programme was introduced in 1962 to provide capital grant aid to rural dwellers for the construction of water distribution systems to pipe water from local water sources such as lakes or boreholes into their homes and farms".

Water monitoring

Irish Water is not responsible for private water schemes. Local authorities have responsibility for ensuring that private drinking water supplies are monitored for compliance with drinking water standards, according to the EPA.

Some 1,700 small private supplies serve the likes of hotels, pubs and restaurants, crèches, nursing homes, and national schools, but there may be many more that have not registered, the agency said. 

Thousands of people use these supplies each day as they provide water to employees and customers.

However, more than a quarter of those small private supplies were not monitored in 2020.

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Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement Dr Tom Ryan said: "Consumers should expect, as a minimum, that their water is safe to drink. However, compliance with the E.coli standard is not as good as it should be for water from private group water schemes and small private supplies. 

"It is essential that works to improve water quality are carried out as soon as possible to eliminate the serious risks to people’s health. Water suppliers are obliged to make sure drinking water is clean and wholesome for consumers.”

'Serious illness'

In its 2020 data, the EPA report said: "The presence of E.coli bacteria in drinking water indicates that the supply has been contaminated and the water has not been fully disinfected. Drinking water contaminated with E.coli can cause serious gastrointestinal illness, so it is critical to have properly functioning disinfection systems."

The agency also said that 22 private group schemes, or 7%, failed to meet the standard for trihalomethanes (THM), including seven schemes the European Commission has identified as being of particular concern.

THMs are chemicals in water that has been treated with chlorine. However, there is a limit to the amount of THMs that is permitted by the EU's directive. 

The EPA called for upgrade works at water supplies with failures to begin "without delay", adding there is funding available to do so from the Department of Housing.