Water concerns continue on northside
A Cork father has rejected Uisce Éireann’s promise that clear running water is safe to drink amidst Cork city’s ongoing dirty water crisis.
Roy O’Driscoll from Farranree said he wanted to “scream at the telly” as he watched Uisce Éireann's Regional Operations Manager for the South West, Brian O’Leary’s recent appearance on RTÉ’s ‘Prime Time’.
During the broadcast, presenter Miriam O'Callaghan quizzed Mr O’Leary on his company’s handling of a dirty water crisis that has been impacting parts of Cork city for over a year and a half.
Father of two young boys, Mr O’Driscoll said in his house, water that might appear clear in small amounts but is actually discoloured and dangerous when poured into larger containers.
He added that “to be fair”, there has been a slight improvement in terms of dirty water frequency where it now affects his home two to three days a week compared to at least four days a week previously.
The crisis centres around the Lee Field water treatment plant which was opened in 2022 and serves approximately 70% of the city’s households.
Mr O’Leary said: “I totally understand and feel their (the publics’) frustrations on this.
“There's been huge investment in the Cork city infrastructure and that includes the 40 million euro investment in the Lee Road water treatment plant.
“If we were still relying on the old water treatment plant on the Lee Road, the city of Cork would probably be on a boil water notice at this stage,” he added.
Clear water
A point Mr O’Leary stressed numerous times during the pre-recorded interview was that discoloured water should not be ingested, whereas clear running water is “absolutely safe to drink”.
He said Uisce Éireann advises the public to run tap water until it’s clear, at which point it’s safe for consumption.
However, Mr O’Driscoll told the Cork Independent that in his home, water can appear completely clear in small amounts such as in a pint glass, but when poured into a larger vessel like a five litre bottle, significant discolouration can easily be seen.
“I don't trust it, so I have an empty five litre bottle of water at our kitchen sink,” explained Mr O’Driscoll.
“If you poured a glass of water in my house, a glass might actually look okay. If you pour a five litre drum of water, it's discoloured,” he said.
Manganese levels
Ireland’s Environment Protection Agency (EPA) sets a limit of 50 micrograms of the chemical element manganese per litre of water as being safe for consumption.
Alarmingly, the RTÉ Prime Time investigation revealed that an audit carried out by the EPA found there had been 11 breaches of this limit at the Lee Road water treatment plant last July alone, none of which were reported to the EPA or the public.
Ingested over years, manganese can cause neurological problems in babies, older people, and those with liver problems or anaemia.
On 27 August 2024, manganese levels at the Lee Road treatment plant were at 192 micrograms per litre, almost four times the 50 microgram level considered to be safe, according to an EPA audit.
Furthermore, on 3 September last year, RTÉ’s ‘Prime Time’ investigation found that a publicly published report from Uisce Éireann showed just two micrograms of manganese per litre at the plant, whereas an unpublished independent report by environmental consultancy Southern Scientific found 90 micrograms of manganese per litre at the plant on the same day.
Responding to these findings, Mr O’Leary said: “I think that's incorrect.There are obviously two different sets of data - possibly the dates are the same. We would have regulatory monitoring which is carried out at times but then we do carry out what's called investigative monitoring when we are investigating a particular discolouration event,” he added.
A frustrated Mr O’Driscoll labelled Mr O’Leary’s response as “a politician’s answer”.
He said: “It's a scandal in my opinion. These manganese levels, we have our kids drinking it, we're drinking it when we shouldn't be - bathing in it, showering in it.”
Solution
In an unfotunate choice of words, Mr O’Leary described Uisce Éireann’s handling of Cork city’s ongoing dirty water crisis as “transparent”.
He said: “We're absolutely committed to solving the problem. It is a top priority for us.”
In terms of a solution, Uisce Éireann has set up a taskforce with the sole purpose of solving the issue of unsafe discoloured water in Cork city. The task force’s action plan includes optimising treatment process at Lee Road water treatment plant and replacing close to 300km of ageing cast iron pipes, while continuing flushing operations on pipes.
“We know people can't wait forever for the mains replacement, so we are mitigating that in the short term by carrying out proactive flushing programmes which have proven to be very effective,” said Mr O’Leary.
In a recent statement, Uisce Éireann said it is continuing to work to improve water quality for homes and businesses in Cork city with its targeted programme for intensive flushing works. These flushing works are part of Uisce Éireann’s network improvement plan to address water discolouration issues.