Sir, - I read Teresa Judge's article on group water schemes with interest (The Irish Times, December 14th). Apparently the "bad news" is that 70 per cent of rural water schemes are polluted by human and/or animal faeces. But according to the Department of the Environment, the "good news" is that, because it comes from such sources, it is easily treatable.
Would it not make more sense to take steps to ensure that the water we drink is not polluted in the first place through increased checks on septic tanks and pressure from the Department on recalcitrant local authorities to use the powers given them (by the same Department) to introduce effective agricultural by-laws regulating the spreading of farmyard? Or am I being politically na∩ve? - Yours, etc., L.O. Clements, Chairman, Lough Conn and Lough Cullen Trout Anglers Federation, Bunninadden, Co Sligo.