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22/05/19 360 people in Cashilard now have safe drinking water

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Almost 360 water consumers in County Donegal received good news following the removal of the Cashilard water supply by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from their Remedial Action List (RAL). The latest report from the EPA shows that Irish Water has reduced the number of schemes on the RAL in Donegal from 10 to 5, since 2015.

 

The RAL identifies drinking water supplies that are ‘at risk’ of failing to consistently supply safe, clean drinking water. The Cashilard supply has been given the thumbs up by the EPA following extensive investment and upgrade works by Irish Water working in partnership with Donegal County Council.

 

Irish Water has completed upgrade works to the water treatment plant in Cashilard where there was inadequate treatment to prevent the formation of Trihalomethanes (THMs). The upgrade works have removed the risk from THMs and will ensure that the community in Cashilard have a safe, secure, reliable water supply.

 

There are currently five others supplies in Co Donegal on the RAL. They are Creeslough, Glenties-Ardara, Greencastle, Letterkenny and Milford-Letterkenny. Irish Water is currently upgrading or constructing new plants at Cresslough, Letterkenny and Glenties-Ardara with all works expected to be complete by year end.

 

Three water supplies in Donegal have elevated THM levels, which have been recorded as above the standard in the Drinking Water Regulations. THMs are chemicals formed as a by-product of chlorination, the important process that removes harmful bacteria from drinking water. At Creeslough the treatment plant is being upgraded. Greencastle will be connected to the Inishowen East scheme. The Milford-Letterkenny supply which is supplied from Letterkenny, will also be removed from the RAL once the Letterkenny Water Treatment Plant has been upgraded and works on this are progressing. All three plants will also include a cryptosporidium barrier.

 

Dr Pat O’Sullivan, Irish Water Regional Compliance Lead says: “The publication of the latest RAL by the EPA confirms that whilst improvements have been made in many areas, the scale of the challenge faced by Irish Water in ensuring the delivery of clean and safe water in Co Donegal and throughout the country remains.

 

“As a single national utility Irish Water has been able to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the performance of Ireland’s drinking water treatment plants and focus investment where the risk to our customers is highest. Nationally Irish Water has adopted a prioritised programme of works which will require an investment of €2 billion by 2021. Significant improvements are being achieved year on year by this approach right across the country.”

 

Irish Water is committed to ensuring that all of its customers have safe, clean drinking water. It is working in partnership with Local Authorities to address the issues affecting the water supplies which remain on the RAL and to bring them to a standard where the EPA determines that they can be removed.

 

The RAL is updated quarterly by the EPA for those water supplies where investment in treatment processes is required. Irish Water has a prioritised programme of investment for all schemes on the RAL

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