Group threatens to sue EPA over failure to publicise water issues

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has declined to say if it will have households notified in areas where drinking water has unacceptable levels of a chemical linked to cancer.

The EPA said Uisce Éireann was responsible for communicating information and advice to consumers on drinking water quality.

Campaigners at Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE), however, say the EPA has a duty under EU law to direct Uisce Éireann to communicate with consumers on the issue.

Uisce Éireann, meanwhile, said it was consulting with the EPA and the HSE on the matter.

The chemical is trihalomethane (THM), which forms when chlorine disinfectant added at water treatment plants reacts with organic matter in the water.

The HSE says THM is classified as “possibly carcinogenic” and references some studies that suggest links with reproductive problems.

However, it says the evidence is not conclusive and the possible risks are lower than that of contracting illness from drinking water that is not properly disinfected.

FIE says the public should be informed when their water supply has elevated THM levels and given the opportunity to minimise their exposure.

The EPA publishes regular lists of water supplies in need of upgrades and improvements, and Uisce Éireann has a portal through which customers can check issues in their area.

However, there has been no specific information provided directly to customers supplied by affected water sources since 2018.

FIE’s lawyers have written to the EPA saying it will face legal action if it does not direct Uisce Éireann to “notify all affected consumers of the potential danger to human health”.

The EPA confirmed it received the letter and was preparing a response.

It added: “Water suppliers, such as Uisce Éireann and private group schemes, are responsible under the drinking water regulations S.I.99 of 2023 for communicating information/advice to consumers on drinking water quality.”

FIE first made a complaint to the European Commission in 2011 about the 600,000 customers who were then served by supplies with THM levels above recommended limits.

Last January, the EU Court found Ireland guilty of providing unsafe water to around 220,000 people supplied from water sources in which THMs were still elevated.

Uisce Éireann said it had resolved the issue at most of the water supplies referenced in the court and was working on the outstanding supplies.