End of year aim for Lough Talt
THE boil water notice for large parts of South Sligo remains in place with Irish Water saying it hopes to be in a position to deliver a safe supply from Lough Talt by the end of the year.
The current Lough Talt water treatment plant does not provide adequate treatment for protection against cryptosporidium and needs to be upgraded.
The risk of further detections remains high without a validated barrier against cryptosporidium. This can result in severe illness if the public do not boil their water before consumption. Generally, the highest number of cryptosporidiosis cases are reported in springtime.
The water supply is included on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Remedial Action List,because the existing water treatment plant does not provide sufficient protection against cryptosporidium and trihalomethanes.
John McElwaine, Irish Water said: “Public health is our number one priority and it is imperative that people adhere to the boil water notice which remains in place.
“Irish Water is committed to safeguarding the treated water supplied from the Lough Talt Regional Water Supply for the future and would like to apologise to customers for the inconvenience they are experiencing due to the current boil water notice.
“We would like to once again thank the public for their continued cooperation and patience while we work to deliver this much-needed upgrade’’.
Some 13,000 people are affected including the towns of Tubbercurry and Ballymote and a large rural hinterland including the villages of Annagh, Aclare, Bellaghy, Curry, Lavagh, Ballanacarrow, Carrowneden, Kilmacteige and Coolaney. The boil water notice also includes consumers supplied by the Ogham Group Water Scheme and the following areas in Co Mayo: Cloontia, Doocastle and Quarryfield.
The boil water notice is no longer in effect in the Bellaghy area following a connection which allowed this area to be supplied from the Charlestown public water supply. This connection removed 488 customers from the boil water notice.