Donegal County Council welcomes the release of the EPA report “The Provision and quality of drinking water in Ireland”. The report covers the outcomes in 2006 and deals with the new role of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) in 2007. The council notes the very high compliance achieved in water supplies served from public sources. 97% of the population served by piped water schemes in the county receive water from public supplies either through public water supplies (PWS) or group schemes using water from public supplies (PuGWS).
Public Supplies (44 schemes) & PuGWS (10 schemes)
Drinking water is tested for parameters under three tables. Public water supplies in Donegal, and group schemes availing of public water, registered compliance levels in 2006 under these tables as follows:
PWS PuGWS
Table A : microbiological 99.4% compliant 100% compliant
Table B : chemical 99.7% compliant 100% compliant
Table C : Indicator 94.0% compliant 95.2% compliant
Table A
Three microbiological incidents (Table A) occurred during the year 2006, one incident in each of three supplies, The Fullerton Pollan Dam, Pettigo and Lifford Old. In the case of the Pollan and Pettigo supplies, these were isolated incidents, which were immediately noted and rectified. The Pollan case was in fact limited to part of the network only and secondary chlorination was introduced during the incident. In the Pettigo case, which resulted from mechanical failure, a boil water order was introduced for a short period in agreement with the HSE, until the problem was rectified. The third case relates to Lifford Old, which as noted on the EPA report is not the main supply serving Lifford. It is a very small supply serving a very localised area and the Council have plans to eliminate that source entirely by connection to the main public system.
Table B
The report notes (Table B) a problem of fluoride exceedances in the Cranford supply. It should be noted the exceedances were minor, i.e. slightly exceeding the standard at that time. Also, the Council has progressed upgrade of mechanical equipment in that supply since, and no such exceedances are reported for the 2007 year or since.
The report also notes a problem with Trihalomethane exceedances in three supplies, in relation to Malinmore and Ballintra, the Council have advanced plans to eliminate those supplies as part of the Rural Water Programme. Regarding the Portnoo-Narin supply (which may be seasonal only and not a constant problem), strategies are being developed to minimise or eliminate that problem.
Table C
Table C parameters do not in themselves carry a health risk, but rather reflect on the general performance of water treatment plants. The main issue the report highlights is the fear that, if cryptosporidium gets into the raw water source, it may get through the treatment process and on into the supply. The EPA has issued a revised Cryptosporidum risk assessment methodology this week. They have asked all local authorities to re-visit earlier risk assessments using this new methodology and to revert to them in a specified time frame. Donegal County Council will undertake this risk assessment review.
Action Programme
The EPA has highlighted all water supply schemes where any issue arose during 2006 and has asked local authorities to bring forward action programme to deal with the issues noted. The programme is to be categorised under three broad headings : a) sources to be abandoned or replaced, b) treatment facilities to be upgraded and c) improved operation and maintenance arrangements. Donegal County Council is reviewing the list of schemes provided and will report by the end of February as required.
This is a new departure for the EPA and reflects their new supervisory role under the Drinking Water Regulations. Capital works to upgrade public water supplies are substantially funded by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, with counterpart funding by the local authority. The council looks forward to the development of a tri-partite process whereby all three partners (the council, the EPA and the DoEHLG) can agree the priority of the necessary works and their funding.
Private Group Water Supply Schemes (23 schemes)
The EPA report highlights problems of non-compliance of private group water supply schemes with private sources.
2006 results
Table A : microbiological 48.0% compliant
Table B : chemical 100 % compliant
Table C : Indicator 85.7% compliant
The poor level of compliance with Table A requirements is an ongoing problem with these schemes that have their own private supply source. Permanent boiling notices apply to those schemes, thereby warning consumers to boil the water prior to use. The Council has a programme to upgrade these supplies, mainly by replacing the source with a compliant public supply. Some level of success has been achieved in 2007 and works are ongoing to replace the balance of these supplies. A vital step in delivering this programme is securing agreement from the scheme members prior to works progressing. This programme receives priority funding from the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government through the Rural Water Programme.
Responsibility for water quality on Group Water Supply Schemes rests with the Group Trustees. It is important that all group schemes should regularly scour and flush watermains and clean out reservoirs on their systems. New standards for the management of private group schemes have since been introduced with the European Communities (Drinking Water) Regulations (No 2), 2007, which came into force in June 2007.
Donegal County Council is committed to achieving the highest standards in drinking water supplies throughout the county.