Irish Water must provide water solution to North East Roscommon – Naughten

In East-Roscommon, Local Issues by Denis Naughten

 

3 year wait to lift boil water notice unacceptable

Denis Naughten TD has called on Irish Water to immediately source a new mobile water treatment unit for the North East Roscommon Regional water supply at Grange Lake, instead of leaving families with a boil water notice for three years.

“It is totally unacceptable that the people of Ballyleague, Strokestown, Elphin, Rooskey and surrounding areas should be left to boil water until March 2017 – a full three years after the boil water notice was placed on the supply,” stated Denis Naughten.

“I have been pressing Irish Water over the last nine months to source a temporary treatment plant to allow for the boil water notice to be lifted and as a result consideration was given to relocating the existing mobile unit based in Roscommon Town to Grange Lake.

“Two years ago, Roscommon Town had the exact same problem with cryptosporidium and this was addressed within 14 weeks through the installation of a temporary water treatment plant, pending the upgrade of the existing water system.

“This upgrade of the Roscommon Town supply is now nearing completion and the temporary mobile water treatment plant will then become available to be used elsewhere. However, for technical reasons, I understand that this particular plant is not suitable to upgrade the North East Roscommon Regional Supply.

“In light of this I’m now pressing Irish Water to purchase an alternative treatment plant which meets with the needs of the communities of Ballyleague, Strokestown, Elphin, Rooskey and surrounding areas to address the ongoing problem with water quality in the areas concerned.”

Denis Naughten added: “While communities have been unfortunate to have contamination from Cryptosporidium, there are solutions that can work in many instances but bizarrely Irish Water is not prepared to implement such solutions. There seems to be a policy that if there is a medium term solution in the intervening years communities can just put up with undrinkable water.

“Presently, Irish Water does not consider a boil water notice as a priority for a temporary treatment solution where it is estimated that the notice will be in place for an anything under a 12 month period. In practical terms this can leave communities with contaminated water for periods of 18 months to three years. This is just not good enough.

“There are temporary solutions available, like the one installed in Roscommon Town, and such a solution should now be put in place until a final solution is available to treat local water supplies like North East Roscommon.

“Families have a right to clean safe water and this must now be put to the top of the agenda by Irish Water,” concluded Denis Naughten.