Four group water schemes in County Mayo are non compliant with regulations according to Mr Joe Beirne, Director of Services and Senior Engineer for Mayo County Council.
The offending schemes are now on permanent boil notice until they can get their “house in order” as “zero tolerance” will be shown to any group which does not adhere to regulations.
Committee members of the Water Supply and Sewerage SPC were informed by on Wednesday that out of 101 group water schemes which are in operation and are monitored by the council, Killasser, Glenamoy, Creggaunbawn (Louisburgh ) and Buckagh-Furnace (Newport ) are non-complaint with regulations.
Mr Beirne explained that a national task force has been set up under an EU directive to ensure that local authorities oversee and engage with these group schemes to ensure that they are producing safe drinking water.
However, the four schemes which are not adhering to regulations must remain on boil notice—with the scheme informing their users of this—until they implement changes. According to Mr Beirne group water schemes need to be licensed to operate and in order to maintain their licence their “house must be in order”.
The SPC was also informed that Mayo County Council are also to take a hard stance in relation to water quality compliance throughout the county next year, in order to raise public confidence in the water which they use, according to Director of Services, Paddy Mahon.
Mr Mahon explained to the committee members that audits were conducted by the EPA during last year and that two directions for Cong and Kiltimagh in relation to the quality of the water were issued by them, which are constantly being worked on by the council. Alongside this money which was also made available ensured that risk monitoring was carried out in water supplies throughout the county such as the implementation of chlorine monitors and the detection of cryptosporidium.
Chair of the committee, Councillor Al McDonnell, welcomed the council’s commitment to this and said that it was “in the interest of the people that we represent” that the “duty to ensure that water coming out of the taps is of the highest quality.”
Councillor Eugene McCormack asked, in light of the problems which Galway had in relation to lead in the water, whether Mayo have monitored the possibility of lead in this county’s water.
Mr Mahon said that following the lead contaminations in Galway, Mayo County Council went through their records and identified two occurrences of excess lead. Once occurrence was this year while the other was in 2006 and in both cases the lead came from pipeworks in private residences. The Director of Services explained that the council is continuing to identify areas where lead pipes may be located and replace with expediency any of these pipes which may be detected.
