The Minister for the Environment has today defended the quality of the State's water following the publication of a report that found high levels of E.coli contamination.
According to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report, levels of E.coli contamination in Irish drinking water supplies are nearly 30 times higher than found in supplies in England and Wales, with one-third of all public water supplies identified as potentially risky to human health and requiring replacement or upgrading.
Some 320 out of 952 water supplies appear on the EPA's remedial action list.
However, John Gormley said the EPA report "demonstrates that overall the quality of our water is good and that further progress has been made in improving water quality in recent years".
"The priority attached by Government to this area is reflected in funding of €500m for investment in water services this year which, even in these adverse economic times, represents an increase on our record spending in 2008.
"Clearly a lot more needs to be done and our rivers, lakes and water sources are still under threat from pollution - we must continue to protect them," Mr Gormley said. The Minister said "sustained commitment" of water suppliers and their personnel would be needed to achieve further improvement in the State's water quality.
"I have been working for some time with the key stakeholders, including the local authorities, the EPA and the EU Commission to ensure that the management structures for the supply of drinking water in Ireland are of the highest standard. I am satisfied that our combined efforts will allow us to manage the supply of quality drinking water from the source to the tap."
Referring to the EPA's remedial action list, Mr Gormley said that for schemes not already scheduled for upgrading, he had set up a €15 million fund for small-scale improvements required to address deficiencies identified by the EPA.
The Minister also pointed out 95 per cent of Group Water Scheme households complied with national drinking water standards at the end of 2008 compared to 75 per cent in 2006.
Darragh Page, co-author of the EPA report, called for continued investment to modernise treatment and guarantee safe water. “It does not compare well with Europe,” he said. “If you look at the potential risks from source to delivery we are seeing, if they are not catalogued and a management plan put in place, then we run the risk of another Galway.”
The report found only seven of the 64 supplies identified in 2007 as having no treatment barrier to remove cryptosporidium had installed one since the outbreak of the parasite in Galway that year that saw taps shut off for five months.
Fine Gael environment spokesman Phil Hogan said the EPA report highlighted the "perilous quality" of the water supplies.
“No amount of spin by Minister Gormley can hide the fact that the country is going backward when it comes to the quality of our drinking water," he said in a statement today.
“The EPA states that the only answer to Ireland’s polluted drinking water problem is ongoing investment. The Government’s response instead is to cutback. Outside of the human health issues at stake, this will also end up financially costing Ireland more in the long run.
“In the budget, John Gormley cut water funds by €40 million and abolished programmes such as REPS. This will end up costing the State millions," Mr Hogan said.