OVER 5,400 PEOPLE who use private water supplies were on boil water notices in 2015.
Around 20% of the country, mostly in rural areas, get their drinking water from private water supplies. The remainder of the population are supplied by public water supplies which are the responsibility of Irish Water.
In 2015, boil water notices were imposed on 94 private water supplies, affecting a population of over 5,400. This compares to a total population of 3,770 with boil water notices in public water supplies today.
The figures are carried in a special report focusing on the quality of Private Water Supplies in Ireland, released today by the Environmental Protection Agency. Private schemes mostly comprises of group water schemes, or small
supplies/wells operated by the owners of buildings/businesses as part of a public or commercial activity.
Gerard O’Leary, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said:
“Despite recent improvements to private water supplies, there were 94 private water supplies affecting over 5,400 people on boil water notices. Further improvements are required to ensure that people on
private water supplies have access to clean and wholesome drinking water.”
Monitoring results show that private water supplies to commercial businesses (hotels, B&Bs, pubs, etc) or to buildings where the public has access (schools, crèches, campsites, etc) are at greater risk of being contaminated.
The report highlights that more than 60 of these supplies were found to be contaminated with human or animal waste at least once during the reporting year.
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