The need for major investment by Irish Water to improve the security of public water supplies to comply with health standards and to avoid water restrictions, including boil water notices, is highlighted in the Environmental Protection Agency ’s latest annual report on drinking water. Based on projections by the water utility, the EPA said it expects drinking water to comply with EU standards by 2020, “16 years after the deadline for compliance”. A total of 42 boil water notices and a further four water restrictions were in place in 2017, affecting 21,890 people in 17 counties. More than half of all boil water notices issued in 2017 were short-term notices, in place for less than 30 days. The EPA Drinking Water Report 2017 and list of public water supplies currently on the remedial action list – including details of proposed remedial measures and timeframes – is available here.

Source: The Irish Times June 12, 2018 22:52 UTC