The levels of lead in the older areas of the city have dropped, city officials said this week, contrary to reports stating that the water contamination has spread throughout the city.
Reports claiming that high levels of lead contamination have hit the entire city are “factually wrong” the director for transport and infrastructure, Ciaran Hayes, said yesterday.
The director slammed the report, saying he does not know where the information, which claims that lead levels as high as 314mg per litre were found across the city, came from.
Mr Hayes said that the issue of the city’s lead contamination was discussed on Monday at the special meeting of the Galway City Council but that little new information was given from the previous discussion on the topic just a fortnight prior.
“As we said during the meeting on Monday, the exposure is only confined to the older parts of the city,” said Mr Hayes, who added that the council has also repeatedly confirmed that in those areas there is only a maximum of 10 per cent of homes affected.
“We’re also very encouraged by some of the results we have received,” said Mr Hayes. “They are showing that the actions the council has taken, such as the pH level adjustment at Terryland, are working.”
He added that there was a significant general reduction in Old Mervue, the worst affected area of the city, with levels now averaging between 50 and 60mg per litre.
He also said that the updated report given Monday was essentially the same report given at the earlier monthly meeting, other than including the latest testing results and a proposal, given by Mr Hayes himself, on a long-term solution to the problem in Old Mervue.
“The solution [in Old Mervue] is a new water system,” he said. “And we have started the work on this and expect to have it finished by the end of 2009.”
Mr Hayes said he has been in contact with the residents of Old Mervue, who are aware that work is under way on a new water system, and who will be kept updated as the work continues. He also said they have been informed that there will be no interruptions to their water supply as the old water will not be disconnected until each house is connected to the new supply.
“We are in a position to start bringing a new water supply to Old Mervue in a manner that will be rolled out through to September 2009,” said Mr Hayes. “And the council housing in the other older parts of the city will be completed by the end of next year.”
He said the longer wait for the older areas of the city, such as Claddagh, Shantalla, and Newcastle, has to do with the pipe layout in these locations. Whereas Old Mervue’s has one pipe which runs through the back gardens and directly into the homes, only a portion of the lead services running into the homes in other older areas of the city are owned by the council.
Mr Hayes has ensured, however, that the council will take responsibility for replacing its portion of the pipes, as it has already done in Bohermore and is in the process of doing in the Claddagh.
The most important thing for the residents of the city to note right now, said Mr Hayes, is that there has been an overall reduction in the levels of lead in the waters throughout the city, particularly in those areas which were most affected by the contamination.
