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THERE IS A “deficit” of treatment for Cryptosporidium and Giardia at the Leixlip Water Treatment Plant, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The EPA will tell an Oireachtas committee today that the level of treatment at the plant “is not sufficient to manage the risk posed by the River Liffey source water”.
Officials from Irish Water, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and Fingal County Council will also appear before the committee today.
Their appearance comes as a boil water notice was reissued last night. The renewed notice impacts some 600,000 customers in the greater Dublin are, including Meath and Kildare.
Irish Water said said that cloudy water in the source water for the old Leixlip Plant has exceeded acceptable levels, yet again.
A similar boil notice was issued at the end of last month, which resulted in the officials being called before today’s Oireachtas committee.
Dr Tom Ryan, Director Office of Environmental Enforcement (OEE) and the EPA will tell TDs today that in particular, there is currently a deficit for treatment of parasites such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia at the Leixlip plant.
While filter upgrade works are underway to reduce this deficit, it “will not be sufficient to confirm adequate treatment”, Ryan states in his opening statement.
Illness
Cryptosporidium is a parasite that is found in human or animal waste.
If it is present in drinking water, it can cause diarrhea. Illness is often more severe in
small children and elderly people.
Giardiais is a microscopic parasite that also causes the diarrhea.
The EPA has recommended that ultraviolet disinfection be considered by Irish Water as an additional treatment barrier to deactivate Cryptosporidium and Giardia at the Leixlip water treatment plant.
“As an ultimate fail safe, ultraviolet disinfection will inactivate any Cryptosporidium/Giardia parasites in the water supply, to ensure the protection of public health,” he states.
Outlining the series of events that led to October’s boil notice, Ryan states the incident began at 3pm on Monday 21 October and ended at 5am on Tuesday 22 October when remedial works restored the affected production line.
The committee will be told that a blockage resulted in operational difficulties with the water treatment processes and gave rise to elevated cloudiness levels in treated water, also known as turbidity levels.
This is the same reason cited last night for the boil notice being reissued.
The cloudy water from the source water indicated last month that there was a significant risk to the safety of the water supply because the treatment barrier for removal of Cryptosporidium and Giardia was compromised, states Ryan.
He adds that there was a risk of breakthrough of microscopic parasites into the water supply.
The committee will also be told that there was a failure to respond to multiple alarms that were activated in response to the elevated turbidity.
Members will also be told today that the EPA highlighted the risk of this type of incident occurring during an audit of Leixlip water treatment plant in March 2019, following a mechanical failure of chemical dosing pumps at the plant.
It recommended that plant operators respond immediately to any alarms generated and that if an operator fails to respond to an alarm, that Irish Water should ensure that the plant automatically shuts down, to prevent inadequately treated water being supplied to consumers.
The EPA’s 2018 report highlighted that Cryptosporidium detection has increased in the past three years. It was detected in 25 public water supplies in 2018, up from 17 in 2017 and 12 in 2016.
During 2018, 44 boil notices were in place in 14 counties affecting 97,204 people. This is
an increase compared to 2017, during which 42 boil notices were in place affecting 21,657
people.
Over 13,500 people were also affected by 12 precautionary boil notices issued due to Storm Emma in March 2018.
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Is there a chance the track would bend?
@Barry Goodwin: if ya have nothing good to say just say nothing!
@Barry Goodwin: haha Barry. Now I have that song stuck in my head.
@Barry Goodwin: Not on your life my Mancunian friend.
@Elrond Rivendell: what about us brain dead slobs?
@Stephen Boland: you’ll be given cushy jobs
@Stephen Boland: you’ll be given cushy jobs!
@Thomas McDonnell: were you sent here by the devil?!
@Fergal O’Hagan: Not unless you’re Gary Neville!
@Fergal O’Hagan: No good sir I’m on the level
Any chance of some public transport on the Northside? Sick of sitting ages in traffic AT 6am! Whats happening with Metro North? Or are we going to be constantly vilified for having to use the car? I have osteoarthritis before anyone mentioning cycling!
@Lisa Jones: traffic at 6am, where?
@Dublin days: From Crossguns bridge right through Phibsboro and over the 2 luas lines and right up as far as the quays. Lights stay red longer, lanes have been reduced to one lane. I have been working the whole last year starting work at 6.30am and traffic is getting mental. Yes even that early, most likely by people trying to avoid getting caught up in rush hour traffic.
@Lisa Jones: Metrolink – Metro North was the old plan – is still going ahead.
Is the electrification of the line to Maynooth included as was suggested last year? I don’t see it mentioned here but it has been on the table for years. Let’s hope this isn’t another endless pipe dream consultative process that will cost the taxpayer millions without a single sod turned like Metro North, the Royal Canal Greenway deep sinking project, the DART extension to Maynooth. Consultants and engineers making money left, right and centre for flashy drawings and brochures of fictitious, never to be built infrastructure.
https://www.newstalk.com/news/irish-rail-reveals-details-plan-extend-dart-maynooth-1066555
Extension from Heuston…does the dart go to Heuston??
@dreiglaser: Not sure if you missed it but it says in the article a feasibility study and concept design would be undertaken for a future station at “Heuston West” (I assume that is within walking distance from the main Heuston station and it is a change stop), that line would run from Hazelhatch to Connolly via the Phoenix Park Tunnel
Well I hope they have better success than reopening the current line to navan, wasn’t even a priority for the greens
@Hugh Mc Donnell:
Public transport in Ireland is for the fairies.
@iohanx: there must be an election coming up, the usual empty promises and grand plans. Do politicians really think we believe this nonsense. It’s going on years now, metro North an underground Harcourt line to Bray navan rail line
But there’s a train
@Sazzle: if you have nothing good to say just say nothing
@Mark Dit: Nothing
@Mark Dit: sometimes saying nothing is good. I enjoyed Paul’s saying nothing, brightened up my day no end did that.
@This time its personable!: this applies to you more than Paul
With the money in all of these reports and consultation over the years, they would have the price to pay for metro-north and the extension to the Dart line
Should be extended to Sallins/Naas. What a wasted opportunity.
@Tomo: it should be all the way at to Portlaoise
So as per usual with the semi state and the department of wasting money. This will take years. Cost millions more than it should and be over loaded before it launches.
Needs to include a revamp of Hazelhatch Station. Secure bicycle parking, quicker access to platforms, hourly shuttle bus into Celbridge, go-car spaces.
Stations and commuters. Need I say more
have your say