Irish Water fails to make west Clare drinking water safe
Ireland is facing legal action by the European Commission over its failure to ensure drinking water to over 200,000 people is safe for consumption due to elevated THM levels.
Irish Water failed to comply with a direction to ensure that drinking water from a treatment facility in west Clare was safe by the end of last year, according to the State’s environmental watchdog.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it had instructed Irish Water at the end of November 2019 to ensure that a new treatment plant that forms part of the West Clare Regional Water Supply complied with EU guidelines on trihalomethane (THM) levels by December 31 last.
THMs are by-products of the disinfection process for drinking water and are chemical compounds which form as a result of reaction between organic materials such as soil and rotting vegetation and chlorine which has been added as a disinfectant.
High THM levels have been linked to diseases of the liver, kidney, and central nervous system as well as bladder and colon cancer.
The EPA said it had been informed by Irish Water that the projected date for the completion of remedial works on the west Clare public water supply is the end of June 2022.
The facility provides drinking water to a population of over 8,700 and covers such areas as Kilrush, Kilkee, Kilmihil, Doonbeg, Quilty, and Carrigaholt.
The EPA said the supply had been placed on its Remedial Action List because trihalomethane levels at the facility were continuing to breach the EU recommended limit of 100 micrograms per litre as well as “treatment and management issues”.
A recent audit found there had been two breaches of THM safety limits since the deadline to ensure compliance was passed last December.
Two samples taken on consecutive days in February were in excess of the 100 micrograms per litre rate.
The west Clare public water supply was first placed on the EPA list in October 2017 due to persistent breaches of THM recommended limits.
The plant was placed on the list for a second category of “treatment and management issues” in May 2021 after an audit found “serious deficiencies regarding management and control”.
However, the EPA noted that a recent audit carried out in April also found that upgrades at the plant were at an advanced stage which should enable the west Clare public water supply to be removed from the list once the effectiveness of the remedial works was verified.
Ireland is facing legal action by the European Commission over its failure to ensure drinking water to over 200,000 people is safe for consumption due to elevated THM levels.
Officials in Brussels have referred the State to the Court of Justice of the European Union over what they claim are breaches relating to 30 water supply zones in the Republic which “continue to exceed safe levels of THMs”.
“Exceeding the parametric value of trihalomethanes can entail potential risk to human health,” the European Commission noted.
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