High levels of pesticides found in three Cork water supplies

High levels of pesticides have been found in three public water supplies in Cork.

Uisce Éireann, formerly known as Irish Water, recently confirmed that excessive levels of pesticides were found in the Carrignavar, Glanmire and Mogeely water supplies over the course of last year.

The water company said the excessive levels were detected as part of their public water supply monitoring programme, which, in 2021, also discovered excess levels of triclopyr in the Glanmire water supply.

In the latest findings, Uisce Éireann said that further cases of pesticides had been found in Cork public drinking supplies, increasing the number from just one to three over the course of a year.

There were traces of glyphosate found in the Carrignavar and Mogeely supplies, and one detection of Ffuroxypr in the Glanmire supply.

The Glanmire water supply extracts raw water from the Butlerstown River tributaries, while the Mogeely water supply is extracted from the Kiltha river and the Carrignavar water supply is extracted from Knockaneag and Parkview, all of which are vulnerable to runoff from land.

Glyphosate and fluroxypr are pesticidal ingredients commonly found in hundreds of products used widely in agriculture and horticulture.

Uisce Éireann and the National Pesticides and & Drinking Water Action Group (NPDWAG) have called on farmers, gardeners, sports ground caretakers, and domestic users of pesticides to consider using alternatives to pesticides and herbicides, following the discovery of increased levels of the ingredients in Cork water supplies. 

Uisce Éireann officials have insisted that the high levels of pesticides discovered in Cork drinking water in 2022 did not pose a significant threat to public health.

“While our consultation with the HSE has concluded that the levels we are detecting in the three Cork supplies do not represent a threat to public health, they are still however undesirable in drinking water,” said Uisce Éireann spokesperson Deirdre O’Loughlin.

“It is therefore imperative that users of pesticides are mindful of best practice and seek out alternatives.
"Minimising pesticide use not only helps to protect water quality but also has multiple, wider environmental benefits,” she added.

In the case of individual pesticide exceedances, Uisce Éireann is to engage with local authority environment sections to investigate the possible cause of the contamination and take any necessary remedial actions.