Fears Ireland may be experiencing its first 'saltwater intrusion' after salt found in Kerry water supply

The North Kerry incident may be linked to prolonged drought conditions this year

All customers in North Kerry are being asked by Uisce Éireann not to drink the water from their taps, even if boiled, or cook with it or use it to wash teeth. File photo

Salt in the water serving thousands of people in North Kerry is leading to fears that Ireland is experiencing its first major case of “saltwater intrusion", a phenomenon destroying water supplies globally.

The salt, detected and confirmed by Uisce Éireann in the Ballyheigue water supply, has left thousands of people without tap water to drink along the North Kerry coast since October 7.

A Do Not Consume notice issued by Uisce Éireann may not be lifted until a new supply is found. Questions are being raised also about the effects of salt water on pipes and appliances.

A growing problem worldwide, the seawater infiltration of the Ballyheigue water supply is the first ever major salt intrusion into a deep underground water aquifer.

An aquifer is permeable rock, sand, gravel, or sediment underground that holds and transmits water. Salt has been found in water in wells in south Galway on occasion in high tide situations.

However, the North Kerry incident is not linked to tidal conditions, and may be linked to prolonged drought conditions this year. There will be “no quick fix”, and hydrologists and engineers are trying to find solutions, a senior manager with Uisce Éireann said.

Eoin O'Connell said nothing of such significance had occurred in Ireland previously. It may be linked to the prolonged summer drought despite huge efforts in conserving water by people in the region, he said.

Several efforts have been made to isolate the saltwater intrusion, but the salt levels are not dissipating in the aquifer regardless of high or low tides.

Uisce Éireann is now examining whether water can be supplied to some areas from adjoining schemes and ultimately from the central supply scheme outside Killarney or the Listowel scheme.

Mr O’Connell said on Radio Kerry:

This is not going to be a relatively quick fix. It is not going to be solved in a day or two.

It is a naturally occurring phenomenon, and it could recur, he also said. More than 3,500 households are affected, along with schools, day care centres, creches, businesses, cafes and hotels and restaurants. 

The area is a large dairy farming region, and cattle and other animals are also impacted by the contamination and restrictions. Fianna Fáil councillor in Ballyheigue, Michael Leane, said people are extremely worried, and there are fears now the situation will continue for months.

In the Dáil, Sinn Féin TD for Kerry Pa Daly said 3,600 customers were impacted, and he called for more information. “People out there are confused about the risks to the population and the health of the people in the area,” he said.

Questions are being raised also about the effects of saltwater on pipes, appliances, and heating systems.

All customers are being asked not to drink the water from their taps, even if boiled, or cook with it or use it to wash teeth. Babies are particularly vulnerable, and the water must not be used to make up infant formula, Uisce Éireann said.

Water tankers are operating in a number of villages and locations.

Meanwhile, seawater will infiltrate underground freshwater supplies in about three of every four coastal areas around the world by the year 2100, according to a recent study led by researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. 

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In addition to making water in some coastal aquifers undrinkable and unusable for irrigation, these changes can harm ecosystems and corrode infrastructure.

Professor of geomorphology at the Department of Geography, Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Mary C Bourke said that as climate change continues to escalate, there is an increased risk of saltwater intrusion into coastal groundwater sources in the southwest.

Sea levels are rising, and in the southwest of Ireland the land is also lowering each year. It is time to think about how we can prepare ourselves for the worst effects of this type of climate change, she said.

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