Irish Water, working in partnership with Sligo County Council, has extended the Boil Water Notice which was issued on February 5 2018 on Lough Talt Public Water Supply scheme until further notice following a meeting with the HSE on 28th September.
The notice was issued due to detections of cryptosporidium in the water at the Lough Talt water treatment plant following routine compliance sampling. Recently there were further detections of cryptosporidium in the water following over 20 weeks of clear sampling. The HSE also investigated a number of cases of cryptosporidiosis in the water supply area during the period the BWN has been in place.
The HSE have indicated that the criteria for lifting this notice are zero detections of cryptosporidium in the water at the treatment plant together with a coinciding period of no reported illnesses in the community in the absence of a validated crypto barrier at the treatment plant.
To date there has been no coinciding period where zero detections and investigations of illness were recorded.
To progress a solution for the scheme, Irish Water lodged a planning application in May 2018 to Sligo County Council for essential, emergency upgrade works at the Lough Talt Water Treatment Plant - a decision on the application is still awaited.
Irish Water commented:
“We are engaged with our stakeholders in what is an incredibly complex process due to local environmental constraints and every stakeholder wants to ensure that the right outcome is achieved. We are currently completing the report as requested under the request for further information and aims to provide a response to Sligo County Council in November.”
The Lough Talt Water Treatment Plant is currently on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Remedial Action List (RAL) for both cryptosporidium and Trihalomethane (THM) risk. The level of treatment currently provided at the Lough Talt water treatment plant does not provide adequate protection against cryptosporidium.
Irish Water is advising customers that in the absence of a validated cryptosporidium barrier there is a risk of further cryptosporidium detections in the supply.
The proposed development, if granted planning permission, will provide an effective cryptosporidium barrier and will mitigate against the formation of THMs. However, the water company has acknowledged that the long term solution will be an alternative water source to supply Tubbercurry and surrounding areas. Irish Water envisages that the proposed Lough Talt Water Treatment Plant upgrade works will be in place for up to 10 years.
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