Council Seeks Removal Of Ennis Drinking Water Boil Notice
The HSE has been requested to lift a boil notice that has been in place for over four years in Ennis and surrounding areas.


ENNIS, IRELAND December 11, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Clare County Council has entered consultation with the Health Service Executive (HSE) to lift a partial drinking water boil notice that has been in place for over four years in Ennis and surrounding areas.

The local authority confirmed that a new 9m euro water treatment plant at Drumcliffe, located on the outskirts of Ennis, is now fully operational. All tests on the water being produced at the new plant have indicated that the water being produced is to the quality required by the Drinking Water Regulations (No. 2) of 2007.

In excess of 30,000 residents in the greater Ennis area are affected by the precautionary boil notice, which was put in place following the detection of cryptosporidium in the public water supply in May 2005. Exhaustive testing throughout 2009 confirmed that there was no presence of cryptosporidium in the treated water that enters the Ennis public water supply.

Mr. David Timlin, Director of Services, Clare County Council, expressed optimism that the boil notice would be removed as early as possible.

"The new Ennis water treatment plant has now been fully commissioned. No major operational or production issues occurred during the new treatment plant's thorough and wide-ranging testing period in the past five months. The treatment works has performing satisfactorily right through the severe weather conditions experienced recently and last summer. Site testing to date would indicate that there are no quality or quantity issues with the water produced. The new plant at Drumcliffe continues to produce water of the quality required by the Drinking Water Regulations (No. 2) of 2007", he commented.

Mr. Timlin confirmed that the Council has issued a takeover certificate to EPS Ltd enabling the contractor to commence the Operate phase of the Design Build Operate (DBO) contract for the new water treatment plant.

He continued: "Full chemical parameter tests on the quality and quantity of water being produced at the plant have proven satisfactory, which is why the Council is working through very extensive protocols with the HSE to remove the partial boil notice. There is no doubt that such a move would provide a tremendous boost for residential and commercial customers of the Ennis Public Water Supply. In the interim, however, we wish to remind consumers that the Precautionary Partial Boil Water Advice remains in place for the protection of vulnerable groups."

Vulnerable sectors of the community include patients who are immuno-compromised, infants, pre-school children and visitors. These groups are advised to continue to boil tap water before consumption. Institutions serving vulnerable people should also continue to boil tap water or use alternative supplies. This includes hospitals, nursing homes, crèches, pre-schools and day care centres.

-ENDS-

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