Clare village exposed to unsafe drinking water for 12 months before boil notice issued

EPA officials found "a lack of communication" between Clare County Council and Uisce Éireann had resulted in delays warning people

Residents of a Clare village were provided with unsafe drinking water for 12 months before the authorities warned the public that the water should be boiled, according to the State environment watchdog.

An audit by the Environmental Protection Agency has revealed that a water treatment plant that serves a population of around 1,000 people in and around the east Clare village of O’Brien’s Bridge had distributed inadequately disinfected water for a full year before the scale of the problem was recognised.