More than 60,000 people in Cork county affected by water quality issues

More than 60,000 people were affected by issues relating to water quality in Co Cork last year, with more than 35,000 people impacted by boil water notices.

The latest report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows that some 60,900 people in the county were on a priority list of water supplies deemed to be “at risk”, or what is called the Remedial Action List (RAL).

The report states that supplies placed on the RAL “must be improved to ensure that these water supplies are safe and secure, and therefore resilient for consumers. A supply may be placed on the RAL if water treatment at the supply is not adequate.

Vulnerable

“People can become ill from drinking inadequately treated water — especially vulnerable people, such as the young and the elderly.”

Supplies in the county which have been placed on the RAL include Fermoy, Killavullen, Ballyclough, Mitchelstown North, Newmarket, Macroom, Whitegate, Glashaboy, Whiddy Island and Castletownbere.

The largest number of people in Co Cork served by a supply which has been placed on the RAL is in Glashaboy, serving 23,087 people. 

The EPA recommended in 2020 the upgrade of its water treatment plant, works which are due to be completed by June of 2025.

The supply at Glashaboy, which was placed on the RAL at the start of 2020, is also the longest on the list in the country.

At Whitegate, on the RAL since the start of 2021, 9,011 people are awaiting the upgrade of the water treatment plant, which is due by 2027.

In Castletownbere, on the RAL since the end of 2021, the “installation of GAC (granular activated carbon) for removal of organics to minimise THM (trihalomethane) formation” is expected by December 2028.

Boil water notices

The EPA also reports that 35,866 people in the county were affected by boil water notices last year.

The report shows that boil notices were issued in Donoughmore, Glanmire, Killavullen, Macroom, and Whitegate.

The greatest number of people affected by a boil water notice in Co Cork last year was at Glashaboy, when industrial action led to the issuance of a precautionary boil water to 20,941 people on August 4 last year. That notice was lifted the following day.

The longest-running current boil notice in place in Cork is at Whitegate, which was issued on October 18 last year, has yet to be lifted. It came after an earlier boil notice affecting 9,011 people. which was issued for Whitegate on October 29, 2022, was lifted on July 10, 2023.

A notice on Uisce Éireann’s website reads: “It has come to the attention of Uisce Éireann and Cork County Council that the water supply serving the Whitegate Regional Public Supply is potentially unsafe to drink due to inadequate disinfection at the plant”.

Recommendations

In its list of recommendations, the EPA said: “Uisce Éireann must complete upgrades to resolve the drinking water supplies on the RAL to address issues such as THM and Cryptosporidium without delay.

“Existing infrastructure must be operated effectively to ensure its resilience in meeting drinking water quality standards.”

The agency warned that “improving the resilience of supplies, implementing Drinking Water Safety Plans (DWSP) findings and meeting the new more stringent requirements of the drinking water regulations will require corresponding sustained national investment”.