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On January 24th the EPA released Provision and Quality
of Drinking Water in Ireland: A Report for the Years 2006
– 2007 (Click
Here).
The report was based on the results of over 220,000 individual
analyses of drinking water samples. This was the first report
since the EPA was given new powers under the EC Drinking Water
Regulations. These provide a greater level of consumer protection
by requiring public water suppliers to notify the EPA and
the Health Service Executive where drinking water fails to
meet the standards in the Regulations and also where there
is a potential risk to human health and to comply with directions,
if any, issued by the EPA.
One finding in the report was that 339 public water supplies
required examination from source to consumer to determine
whether replacements or upgrades were needed, or whether operational
practices should be improved. To download the list referred
to in the report Click
Here These water supplies are currently being placed
on a Remedial Action List.
Remedial Action List (RAL)
A water supply is included on the RAL for one or more of the
following reasons -
- Failure to meet the E.coli standard at some point
in the last two years;
- Inadequate treatment (e.g. no treatment other than chlorination
or poor turbidity removal or excessive levels of aluminium
in the treated water);
- Showing elevated levels of nitrate or being unable to
meet the new bromate or trihalomethanes standards
coming into force at the end of 2008;
- Monitoring results or compliance checks by the EPA that
indicate a lack of operational control at the treatment
plant - and
- Supplies were identified by the Health Service Executive
(HSE) where improvements are required.
This list will remain a working list, with the possibility
of supplies being added or removed as work is completed and
further information becomes available. The fact that a public
water supply is on this list does not mean that the water
produced by the supply is unsafe to drink.
Enforcement actions by EPA
Following the publication of the report, the list was sent
to each local authority for verification and information was
requested on any improvement works taken. Local authorities
were then asked to respond to the EPA by February 28th 2008.
The EPA is now commencing the process of assessing the information
received to-date to determine whether a supply:
- should be replaced;
- requires capital investment for upgrading - and/or
- requires significant changes in operational practices.
In some cases, this may result in the issuing of legal Directions
to local authorities requiring specific works to be carried
out. The EPA’s priority is to work to ensure a secure drinking
water supply for the Irish public.
EPA’s new powers under drinking water regulations
Since March 2007, the new powers assigned to the EPA include
a responsibility to -
- Ensure local authorities are taking the appropriate action
to ensure that public water supplies comply with the relevant
quality standards;
- Review the actions taken by local authorities in public
water supplies where there has been a breach of a standard
or any other risk to human health;
- Review and approve monitoring programmes to ensure that
adequate monitoring is carried out by local authorities;
- Audit local authority water treatment plants - and
- Publish guidance on how local authorities are to implement
the Regulations, including binding guidelines on auditing.
If a water supply does not meet the drinking water standards,
the local authority is required to immediately bring this
to the attention of the Health Service Executive (HSE) and
the EPA. The local authority is required - under the Drinking
Water Regulations - to take immediate action to ensure human
health is not compromised.
Any such action has to be taken in consultation with - and
with the agreement of - the HSE - e.g. whether or not to issue
a boil notice. Should a drinking water supply become unsafe
for consumption at any time, consumers will be notified promptly
by their local authority and advised of what precautions to
take.
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