Irish Water has apologised to its customers in the Loughrea area and said the treatment plants producing drinking water for the area are not sufficiently equipped to produce drinking water.
The plants are vulnerable to pollution incidents in the catchment and the consequences of recent very wet weather which has increased this risk considerably. This has led to Cryptosporidium contamination in the drinking water produced at the plant.
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Irish Water is working closely with Galway County Council, the EPA & HSE to look at all operational, equipment & logistical options to provide drinking water for Loughrea and surrounding areas that meets all drinking water quality standards.
Sean Laffey, Asset Programmes Manager with Irish Water said: "Normally UV treatment systems could take up to a year to procure, install and fully test. In the case of the Loughrea plants a solution may be possible within a number of weeks due to the availability of UV treatment equipment that was decommissioned by Irish Water from another plant elsewhere in the country. We are hopeful that we will now be able to get this equipment installed within 3-4 weeks after which further water quality tests will be required on the Loughrea supply to satisfy the HSE & EPA that water can be produced to the high standard required."
(CD/MH)
