Irish Water Under Pressure To Explain Contamination Delay

Saturday, 18 September 2021 13:22

By Ross Lindsay

EPA says unsafe water left plants in Ballymore Eustace and Gorey

Irish Water and two local authorities are under pressure to explain why there was a delay in notifying health authorities of contaminated drinking water in public supplies.

The Environmental Protection Agency says unsafe water left two plants, in Gorey and in Ballymore Eustace which serves North Kildare and Dublin, late last month for a period of about 10 hours, but the alarm wasn't raised for roughly a week.

52 confirmed cases of illness have since been linked to the Gorey outbreak.

Wexford County Councillor Andrew Bolger says the advice given to him was the tap water was safe, but locals were ending up in hospital:

EPA investigations at two drinking water treatment plants revealed abject failure of managerial oversight, operational control & responsiveness by @IrishWater & local authorities in terms of their respective roles to deliver safe and secure drinking water https://t.co/UOanVhW4gx pic.twitter.com/LHCz4tql4f
— EPA Ireland (@EPAIreland) September 17, 2021

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