Uisce Éireann seeks to delay Dáil committee appearance citing 'legal concerns' after action by Cork residents

On July 1 and 2, the High Court is to hear a legal challenge by Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) against the EPA over drinking water contamination in Cork.

Uisce Éireann has sought to postpone an Oireachtas appearance, citing legal concerns, and apparently questioning the credentials of Ireland’s only institute specialising in water-related research.

Some of those concerns appear to relate to a High Court action about water quality in Cork City, which is being taken by an environmental campaign group on behalf of local residents.

Earlier this month, Uisce Éireann was invited to appear before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing on June 23, to discuss drinking and wastewater quality.

Also invited were the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the HSE public health office, and Dublin City University’s (DCU’s) Water Institute.

In a reply on June 9, Uisce Éireann chief executive Niall Gleeson said the company was willing to attend but was seeking “some important clarification” of matters likely to be discussed.

Mr Gleeson asked if the committee intended to cover local water services in specific areas, noting “a number of specific areas and projects” are before the courts “including in active judicial review proceedings listed for hearing in early July”.

Mr Gleeson said Uisce Éireann would be constrained from commenting on matters subject to active proceedings, and he suggested postponing the meeting until after the upcoming hearing date.

The following Monday, June 15, Mr Gleeson again requested a postponement, this time raising concerns about the invitation to DCU’s Water Institute to attend at the same session as Uisce Éireann.

“The inclusion of a single academic or research body raises questions as to the basis for its selection and risks presenting an incomplete or unbalanced view of the wider scientific and technical landscape,” he wrote.

“We are also mindful that Uisce Éireann’s statutory role as the national authority for water services is distinct from that of academic institutions.

“A joint session risks blurring those roles and diluting clear lines of accountability.” 

On July 1 and 2, the High Court is to hear a legal challenge by Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) against the EPA over drinking water contamination in Cork.

FIE has entered High Court proceedings seeking a judicial review of the EPA’s approval of Uisce Éireann’s June 2025 Remedial Action Plan to address persistent contamination of Cork City’s public drinking water with what is claimed to be dangerous levels of manganese.

FIE, together with Cork City residents Elaine Eager and Daniel O’Shea, argue the EPA misdirected itself in law by approving Uisce Éireann’s Remedial Action Plan without determining if manganese levels posed a risk to human health, or ensuring successful remedial measures were carried out “as soon as possible” as required under the EU Drinking Water Directive.

According to the filings, Cork’s water supply flows through a 100-year-old cast iron pipe network.

When the then Irish Water opened its new €40m Lee Road treatment plant in summer 2022, the adjusted chemical composition of the treated water reacted with sediments contained within the water mains, releasing iron and manganese that had built up over decades, FIE said.

EU regulations allow a maximum of 50 microgrammes per litre (µg/L), Repeated breaches of that European regulatory threshold of 50µg/L of manganese are shown in documents in the proceedings, a statement from FIE said.