Uisce Éireann asked to explain delay in issuing 'do not consume' notice in Tipperary 

Figures from Uisce Éireann show tests from an external laboratory found high aluminium levels five days before the do not consume notice was put in place

Uisce Éireann issued a do not consume notice on October 9 due to elevated levels of aluminium, stemming from processing issues at Goatenbridge Water Treatment Plant. File picture

Uisce Éireann has been asked to explain why it did not issue a “do not consume” notice sooner for a Tipperary water plant, despite levels of aluminium spiking days before it was issued.

External lab results for water in the Ardfinnan Regional Public Water Supply Scheme show aluminium levels rising to 2,373 micrograms per litre, far in excess of the 200 micrograms per litre recommendation.

Uisce Éireann issued a do not consume notice on October 9 due to elevated levels of aluminium, stemming from processing issues at Goatenbridge Water Treatment Plant.

It advised that boiling the water would not make it safe and that no water should be drunk. The notice has affected large parts of Tipperary and parts of Waterford, with alternative water supplies in place until the water is deemed safe.

However, new data obtained from Uisce Éireann by Independent TD for Tipperary South Mattie McGrath and councillor Máirín McGrath show tests from an external laboratory found aluminium levels reached 2,373 micrograms per litre on October 4, five days before the do not consume notice was put in place.

Of 70 tests of aluminium levels from September 9 to October 8, there were 62 instances of aluminium exceedance. This included a reading of 1,724 on October 1.

Uisce Éireann did not respond directly to questions about whether the do not consume notice should have been issued sooner, but advised that “in early September, process issues at Goatenbridge Water Treatment Plant caused intermittent spikes in aluminium levels in the water produced”.

“Our teams are working to address the issue and restore a safe drinking water supply as quickly as possible. The do not consume notice will remain in place until Uisce Éireann, in consultation with the HSE, is satisfied that the water is safe to consume,” a spokesman said.

Ms McGrath questioned why “meaningful action” was not taken sooner if the issue came to light in early September.

“If these exceedances were known for a prolonged period, why did it take so long for meaningful action to be taken?" she said.

“Uisce Éireann has stated that the HSE is notified of exceedances. The public now deserve to know when the HSE first became aware of these results, when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) became aware of them, what assessments were carried out, and why it took so long for decisive action to be taken.

“Most importantly, why was a do not consume Notice not issued much earlier? If levels of this magnitude were being identified days before the notice was introduced, the public deserves to know who knew, what was discussed, and why stronger action was not taken sooner.”

• Louise Burne is Political Correspondent.