'Get off your arses': Kerry councillors urge Uisce Éireann to act on drinking water supply issues

'Do not consume' restriction affects about 3,600 households in North Kerry following saltwater intrusion into local aquifer

Uisce Éireann said specialist teams  were continuing to investigate the source of the contamination. File picture

Kerry County Council should tell Uisce Éireann "to get off their arses" and take urgent action to address the worsening drinking water crisis affecting thousands of people in North Kerry, councillors have said.

An angry meeting of the local authority heard more than two weeks after a 'do not consume' notice was issued following a saltwater intrusion into the local aquifer, many households remained without a safe drinking water supply.

Councillors insisted the local authority could not wash its hands of the issue simply because Uisce Éireann is responsible for water services.

Two emergency motions, seeking more information on the crisis and calling for the reopening of an alternative water source at Glenderry, were unanimously supported.

The restrictions affect about 3,600 households served by the Ballyheigue public water supply and the Clanmaurice Group Water Scheme.

Councillors said bottled water was still not being distributed in the affected area, despite Uisce Éireann providing supplies in other parts of the country affected by recent water restrictions, including Tipperary.

They heard reports of families drawing water from old wells and pumping it into attic tanks to supply showers and washing machines, while concerns were also raised about potential damage to household appliances and impacts on farming operations.

The council also heard people were being told to go online to request bottled water.

"This is a disgrace," said Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Leane. 

"People are turning back on the old pumps. The council is refusing to test the water for free,” he said, calling for the council or Uisce Éireann to test private supplies for free.

The decision to close an alternative water source at Glenderry, which could have supplied up to 600 homes was also criticised at the council meeting. 

Uisce Éireann said it was closed on health and safety grounds because of its proximity to a national school.

However, Mr Leane said he had received a letter from the school principal supporting the reopening of the facility and stating pupils no longer played in the area concerned.

He said a new source was required. It is within the remit of Kerry County Council to tell Uisce Éireann "to get off their arses", he said.

Councillor Jimmy Moloney said the lack of communication by the utility was “shocking”.

“We have been asking Irish Water for updates and all we are getting is bland emails — exactly the same as we have got already," he said.

Fears are also escalating the saltwater intrusion in the Ballyheigue water supply will have long-lasting consequences, the meeting was told.

Sinn Féin councillor Deirdre Ferris said there was more coastal erosion in North Kerry and more flooding, issues that are not being tackled.

“Our responsibility as a local authority is to maintain our coasts and clean our rivers. This is not just an Uisce Eireann issue,” she said, adding it was unacceptable Kerry County Council could not get answers from another State body.

Fianna Fáil councillor Fionnán Fitzgerald, a teacher based in Tralee, said schools had also been impacted, with schoolchildren telling teachers they had spent evenings gathering water for household use rather than doing homework.

Fine Gael councillor Angie Bailey, the mayor of Tralee, said frustration with Uisce Éireann had become a constant feature of council meetings and suggested councillors travel to the utility's headquarters to seek answers directly.

“Water is the most basic need. We’d be dead in days without it,” she said.

"The people in North Kerry would be back to camels next."

 Uisce Éireann said specialist teams were continuing to investigate the source of the contamination.

"This is a complex investigation and teams from across Uisce Éireann, supported by specialist expertise, are working on it, and we will continue to provide updates as further information becomes available," the utility said.

The do not consume notice has been in place since October 7 after salt contamination was detected in the Ballyheigue water supply.

• This article is funded by the Local Democracy Scheme