EPA - Drinking Water Report for Public Supplies 2017

The EPA Drinking Water Report 2017, released on 13th June 2018, shows that the quality of drinking water in public supplies remains high, though we must continue to invest in and improve the security of supplies if we are to comply with the drinking water health standards and avoid water restrictions, including Boil Water Notices. Drinking water testing throughout 2017 confirmed a very high level of compliance with microbiological and chemical standards. This indicates that most of our water supplies are safe.

Commenting on the report, Mr Gerard O'Leary, Director of the EPA's Office of Environmental Enforcement said,

"Irish Water plans to have all public drinking water supplies compliant with existing EU public health standards by the end of 2020. These standards came into force 16 years ago. There are currently 72 supplies where infrastructure is needed to achieve this goal. Continued investment will be required to achieve compliance with the current public health standards and new standards expected to be in place by 2020."

Darragh Page, Programme Manager, EPA's Office of Environmental Enforcement, commented on the downward trend in E. coli contamination in drinking water:
"The incidence of E. coli in public water supplies has been on a downward trend for the past ten years. There was a slight increase in E. coli detections in 2017, serving as a reminder that we need to remain vigilant against E. coli in drinking water. The best way to ensure our drinking water is free of E. coli is by having a robust disinfection system in place with good checks and controls on the treatment process."

The EPA Drinking Water Report 2017 and the complete list of public water supplies currently on the Remedial Action List (RAL) - including details of the proposed remedial measures and associated timeframes - is available at www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/water/drinking/