Unreported problem at Clare water treatment plant left people at risk of illness for weeks, EPA finds

The disabling of the UV alarm had resulted in the failure of the plant’s cryptosporidium barrier which prevents a potentially dangerous microscopic parasite that can cause gastroenteritis from entering the supply

An EPA audit revealed an automatic shutdown of the water treatment plant at O’Brien’s Bridge failed to work when turbidity level spiked in excess of recommended limits over a three-week period. Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of water caused by suspended particles. File picture

Consumers were placed at potential risk when a problem at a water treatment plant in Co Clare went unreported for six weeks, according to a report by the Environmental Protection Agency.

An EPA audit revealed an automatic shutdown of the water treatment plant at O’Brien’s Bridge failed to work when turbidity level spiked in excess of recommended limits over a three-week period.