This report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides a summary assessment of drinking water quality in public supplies and public group water schemes in Ireland during 2022. Every day, drinking water is supplied to approximately 1.3 million households from public supplies.
Uisce Éireann has responsibility for public water supply and must ensure that the drinking water it supplies meets the standards set out in the Drinking Water Regulations and therefore is safe to drink. Failure to meet those standards can put public health at risk.
If a supply is meeting the drinking water standards today and is safe to drink, the supply also needs to be secure to prevent the risk of water quality failures in the future. The security of a supply is dependent on the risks to the supply, the adequacy of the water treatment infrastructure, and the management and operational controls in place.
At risk supplies are added to the EPA Remedial Action List (RAL) and in 2022 the number of customers serviced by RAL supplies increased to 481,000 people, 6 more supplies added to the list. These supplies should be prioritised for action to address issues yet Uisce Éireann have yet to supply a timeline for completion of work on 18 of these supplies.
The EPA state that Uisce Éireann must continue to progress the use of Drinking Water Safety Plans (required under the updated Drinking Water Directive) across their entire portfolio of water treatment infrastructure to determine the highest risks and to better direct investment. This is essential to mediate those risks and to ensure a resilient public water supply across the whole network.
The report is available here:
