SOUTH SLIGO WATER
BUSINESSES ARE UNCERTAIN AS NO END IN SIGHT TO COSTLY BOIL WATER NOTICE
The Lough Talt water supply to south Sligo has tested positive for cryptosporidium again.
The water was tested over a two-week period since the Boil Water Notice was first issued on 5 th February.
Results showed two more positive detections for the parasite.
Irish Water met with the HSE last Wednesday and on their advice the Boil Water Notice remains in place.
A further two weeks of sampling and testing has been agreed and these results will be reviewed with the HSE on Friday, 2nd of March.
The HSE confirmed that to date there have been no cases of associated illness reported in the community.
In a statement to The Sligo Champion, Irish Water said they were “urgently progressing with an alternative design proposal for a new water treatment plant and will be in consultation with the relevant stakeholders regarding this detailed option over the next few weeks.”
“The priority for Irish Water is to ultimately provide compliant and robust water treatment for the 13,000 people who are affected by this Boil Water Notice in the shortest possible time.
“Over the past couple of weeks Irish Water, in partnership with Sligo County Council, has completed a review of the catchment followed by protection works at the inlet,” they said.
Commenting on the Boil Water Notice, Irish Water Regional Asset Operations Manager Seamus Granahan said: “We would like to remind customers to continue boiling their water before consumption. We would also like to stress that this is NOT a Do Not Use Notice. Once boiled and cooled the water is perfectly safe to consume.”
“Public health is our number one priority and it is imperative that people adhere to the boil water notice. Irish Water sincerely apologise for the inconvenience that this Boil Water Notice has caused and we will continue to communicate with local stakeholders and elected representatives to keep the community updated,” he said.
Businesses in South Sligo are now entering their fourth week under the official Boil Water Notice and tempers are starting to fray at what they claim is the lack of communication from state agencies and the uncertainty as to when it will be lifted.
“Communication is zero from the Government, anyone,” Cawley’s Hotel owner Pierre Krebs in Tubbercurry told The Sligo Champion.
“We’re boiling all the water, for drinking and for ice cubes - there’s certainly more work involved and some cost implications. We are providing water in the rooms for guests,” he said.
“We haven’t had a single letter. The only thing was through Facebook. We’ve spoken to a few people and every time you ask they say it’s for another two weeks.
“There’s no timeline given or any communication. We’re still boiling water like we have done from the start. Some local people don’t even know about it,” he said.
The hotel he runs with his wife Teresa had a visit from the Health Inspector last week. “She was checking we had put procedures in place. She was surprised we didn’t get a letter or any official information but she was happy with the measures we had put in place,” said Pierre.
Down across the Square, Paul Murphy of Murphy’s Hotel and Eurospar was not happy with the ongoing Boil Water Notice.
“It’s not good. The story is it’s costing us a bit of money and it’s a major inconvenience,” he told this newspaper.
“We haven’t really heard anything,” he said. Paul claimed that when he rang the County Council, they advised him to call Irish Water and he’s still waiting to hear back from them.
“What are we going to do going forward? We have guests as well in the hotel. They can’t drink the water out of the taps so we’re having to provide water for that and for ice.
“When it runs past two weeks it becomes an expense. Irish Water said therewas going to be some sort of discount for us. That was last Monday, this is Wednesday - I can’t keep providing water and water,” he said. Next door in his Eurospar supermarket, he admitted sales of bottled water were up but other items were down.
“If they’re buying water they’re not buying something else, especially families,” he said.
Markita Biegunova runs The Coffee Doc café a little further up the street.
She is one of the lucky businesses which is not affected by the Boil Water Notice, unlike many of her customers.
“Yes they have been complaining about it. But we’re fine in here. Everything is homemade and the water I provide for customers is from plastic containers and I have the coffee machine, so we’re ok,” she said.
Bailey’s Nursing Home in Tubbercurry is home to 41 full time residents. Patrick Bailey told The
Sligo Champion that “it’s just an inconvenience. The nursing staff have a lot to do as it is. Of course it’s costly too.”
Like the others, he too hadn’t had any official correspondence from Irish Water about the Boil Water Notice.
He said he was promised a 40 per cent discount but hasn’t received any confirmation about this from Irish Water.
So what caused this outbreak of cryptosporidium? Irish Water said: At this time of year the risk of crypto is heightened due to heavy rain fall and the run off into Lough Talt of animal faeces and afterbirth for example. The water treatment plant at Lough Talt does not have robust enough barriers to meet these extra strains.”
Areas affected by the Boil Water Notice include the towns of Tubbercurry and Ballymote and a large rural hinterland including the villages of Annagh, Aclare, Bellaghy, Bunnanaddan, Curry, Lavagh, Ballanacarrow, Carroweden, Kilmacteige, Quarryfield and Coolaney.
This boil notice also includes customers supplied by the Ogham Group Water Scheme (GWS) in Co Sligo and the following areas in Co Mayo: Cloontia, Doocastle, and the Moylough GWS.
Customers must boil water before consumption including the washing of teeth, making of ice and in the preparation of food. A map is on the Irish Water and Sligo County Council’s websites.