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EPA Private Drinking Water Quality Report
Ireland's Private Drinking Water Quality Is Putting Health at Risk
In its annual report, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has warned that the quality of drinking water in private water supplies in Ireland is not good enough.
Key findings from the EPA report include:
- More than 100 private water supplies contained unacceptable levels of bacteria
- 20% of known supplies were not monitored in 2019
- One fifth of the people of Ireland get their water from private supplies
Small private supplies include hotels, pubs and restaurants, creches, nursing homes and national schools where drinking water is provided to users. Failure to provide safe drinking water that is free from harmful bacteria can make consumers very ill especially children, the elderly or those with a compromised immune system. It is the legal responsibility of the water supplier to make sure the water they provide is safe to drink.
Bacteria found in the supplies included E. Coli, Coliforms, Clostridia Perfringens and Enterococci. Failures were also recorded where high levels of Nitrate was found in the supplies. Drinking water can become contaminated with nitrates from fertiliser use, or when human or animal organic waste enters the water supply.
The full EPA report is available to download here.
If you are concerned about the quality of your drinking water please contact us to arrange a drinking water test or purchase a drinking water test kit online.
