TD has ‘no confidence’ in HSE, Uisce Éireann, or EPA over Cork city's drinking water

A Cork TD said he has no confidence in Uisce Éireann, the HSE, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), accusing all three of “refusing to accept any responsibility” for high levels of manganese found in some of the city’s drinking water.

In correspondence released previously to Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould, the HSE expressed serious concerns that Uisce Éireann had not been informing members of the public who had been affected by manganese exceedances. The HSE added that it was “unsure if we can be reassured” that consumers in affected areas were not being exposed to high levels of manganese in drinking water on an ongoing basis.

It told Uisce Éireann that if such exposure was ongoing, its immediate recommendation was a ‘Do Not Consume notice’ for the affected area.

Asked for a comment, a spokesperson for Uisce Éireann said: “All exceedances are reported by Uisce Éireann to both the EPA and HSE, who provide regulatory oversight and health-based advice, respectively.”

However, a spokesperson for the HSE said: “[The EPA] is the competent authority for public drinking water quality... Uisce Éireann is the national utility responsible for providing and monitoring public water supplies and ensuring they meet the required standards, reporting results to the EPA”.

A spokesperson for the EPA said: “Health-related queries should be directed to the HSE, which is the statutory authority for public health advice under the Drinking Water Regulations.”

Mr Gould said the three bodies were “refusing to accept any responsibility for this public health crisis”.

“The HSE raised serious concerns with Uisce Éireann — they said themselves that they were not convinced that people were not being exposed to unsafe drinking water on a regular basis,” he said.

Mr Gould asked how the HSE could make that claim and then not warn the public.

“I no longer have confidence in Uisce Éireann, in the HSE, or in the EPA to ensure safe and clean drinking water for my constituents,” he said.

“We need to see an independent review by the EU Commission, increased testing, and access to clean, reliable drinking water.”

At high concentrations, manganese can be extremely harmful, potentially affecting brain development in children, and potentially causing symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease in adults.

Earlier this year, a sample taken from a water supply potentially affecting 86,738 people on Cork’s northside and parts of the southside contained manganese levels almost four times the maximum allowed by EU law. The EU Drinking Water (2023) Regulations allow a maximum of 50 microgrammes per litre (µg/L), but on March 3, manganese levels of 193µg/L were recorded in a sample taken at Richmond Tce.