EPA removes Waterville’s water from its action list

KERRY STILL HAS 22 SUPPLIES ON THE LIST - MORE THAN ANY OTHER COUNTY

THE Waterville water scheme has been removed from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Remedial Action List (RAL) - but Kerry still has the highest number of water supplies on the list.

Kerry has 22 of the 100 water supplies on the most recent update of the RAL In 2015, the EPA highlighted Kerry as a county in which supplies were ‘in need of improvement’.

At the time, the list included 32 supplies serving over 130,000 people in the county.

Since then, the number of Kerry supplies on the RAL has dropped by 10. The remaining schemes cater to just over 90,000 people.

Reasons for being on this list include Pesticide or Trihalomethane (THM) levels above the standard set for drinking water regulations, inadequate treatment for Cryptosporidium, poor turbidity removal, and failure to meet E coli/Enterococci standards.

The water supply in Waterville serves over 2,000 people, and is among the supplies taken from the RAL in its most recent update.

It follows completion of works to combat (THMs) in the supply. THMs are chemicals caused by a reaction between naturally occurring organic material and disinfectants like chlorine.

The supply schemes in Ballymacadam, Barraduff, Kilgarvan, Kilsarkin, Lauragh, Lisarboola, Shrone, and Ventry remain on the list due to excessive levels of THMs.

There are no ‘boil wa- ter notices’ or ‘do not drink notices’ issued in respect of these supplies, or any of Kerry’s RAL-listed supplies.

Irish Water says it plans to remove all schemes from the national RAL by 2021.

The utility is currently developing a new water treatment plant at Lough Guitane, which will serve more than 62,000 people in the mid-Kerry region.

Irish Water told The Kerryman the Lough Guitane project is now due to be fully completed by mid-2018.