EPA warns of drinking water contamination risk
The Irish Environmental Protection Agency is urging the government to mandate the registration and monitoring of all private drinking water supplies. Currently, thousands of private wells serving public premises remain unmonitored, posing significant health risks.
Why it matters
Ensuring safe drinking water is a critical public health issue, and the lack of oversight for private supplies leaves many citizens vulnerable to contamination.
The Environmental Protection Agency has warned that thousands of people could be drinking water from private supplies that are not being monitored for contamination, posing an ongoing risk to public health.
The agency is calling on the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to change the law so that all private drinking water supplies must be registered with local authorities and routinely monitored.
There are thousands of Small Private Water Supplies providing drinking water from wells and other private sources to schools, crèches, nursing homes, hotels, campsites, sports clubs and other commercial and public premises across Ireland.
However, only about 1,600 are registered with local authorities - a requirement if the supplies are to be sampled and monitored to ensure the water is safe to drink.
It believes there are many more Small Private Water Supplies that have never been registered.
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