ANGER IN SOUTH SLIGO AS BOIL WATER NOTICE EXTENDED
SOUTH SLIGO REACTS TO THE LATEST EXTENSION OF THE BOIL WATER NOTICE FOR LOUGH TALT WATER SUPPLY
BUSINESSES around South Sligo are fed up with the Boil Water Notice for drinking water from Lough Talt remaining in place for peak tourist season.
An official statement from Irish Water to this newspaper last week confirmed the boil water notice was remaining in place until their next review on July 30 th.
The reason given was that the HSE was investigating reported cases of cryptosporidiosis in the community.
Despite the source of transmission being unclear at this point, in the interest of public health the HSE advised Irish Water that the boil water notice should continue for the remainder of June and July.
Sampling will continue during this time and all results will be reviewed at the next consultation with the HSE on July 30 th.
The boil water notice will have been six months in place by then. There’s no guarantee it will be lifted even then.
Irish Water themselves have said “zero detections of the bug have been found since March 7 th.”
It begs the question where are these “reported cases of cryptosporidiosis in the community?
In fact it was only when ap- proached by The Sligo Champion that many first heard about the boil water notice not being lifted until July 30 th.
“We’ve heard no updates whatsoever,” said Manager and Head Chef of the Coach House Hotel in Ballymote Mags Melia.
“Not until you told me just now. We would be dependent on local representatives to inform us as to what’s going on. There is no direct line of contact from Irish Water,” she said.
She’s described running the business since the 5 th of February as “exceptionally tough.”
“We’re buying in water for the bedrooms, for the bar, which is an added cost to the business which we can ill-afford but we are enduring that cost.
They are also getting two deliveries of water twice a week for food preparation, another added expense.
“We are surviving but it’s difficult because Irish Water aren’t communicating with us.
“The Environmental Health aren’t communicating with us so we don’t actually know where we stand.
“We had people staying with us at the weekend and they couldn’t understand why they couldn’t use the taps,” she said.
They have the taps turned off in the bedrooms as a safe guard: “The child turns on the tap - what happens is we’re in bother straight away,” she said.