Water pipes may be replaced as 'lead emergency' spreads
Council workmen bring in fresh supplies of water by tanker after the emergency taps set up in Mervue were also found to be contaminated with lead
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Monday September 29 2008
GALWAY City officials may be ordered to replace all lead water pipes in the city to ensure the public drinking supply is safe.
The Environmental Protection Agency said yesterday it expects to issue legally binding instructions to the council in coming weeks, which could include a requirement to replace or line the pipes to avoid further lead contamination.
The move came as emergency water tankers were dispatched to a city suburb at the weekend when it emerged that a supposedly safe supply was contaminated.
The council had opened an emergency tap at Mervue which took water directly from the cast iron mains, without it interacting with the lead service pipes into people's homes.
Investigation
But tests at the weekend revealed that supply was also contaminated, with lead readings up to four times the EU limit. An investigation is now under way, but local Councillor Terry O'Flaherty said local residents were "absolutely furious".
"People had been going to the tap and trying to use it. They had no idea why the water was switched off and there was no sign or any indication that this [new] supply was being contaminated," she said. "The whole thing is an absolute shambles -- it's a disgrace."
Council managers have been trying to allay public fears about the city's water after it emerged that at least four areas had lead contamination levels up to nine times the EU limit.
Last year six local authority bosses in Galway city were paid almost €70,000 in performance-related bonuses, despite the cryptosporidium outbreak which crippled local tourism.
The Committee for Performance Awards, made up of senior civil servants and the managers of Dublin City and Cork County, decided to award the bonuses despite the population of Galway being unable to drink tap water for much of last year because of the potentially fatal bug.
This new crisis of lead contamination in the water affects homes and business premises built before 1970 which have lead piping. Homes built since 1970 have plastic plumbing and are unaffected.
Residents in Old Mervue have been told not to use the water for drinking or food preparation.
Yesterday Gerard O'Leary, the head of the EPA's Office of Environmental Enforcement said the agency was likely to give the council binding directions to avoid further contamination. He added that the council could face prosecution if it failed to comply.
Specialists
The move also gave further direction on how to treat the city's water. A team of specialists were in "constant contact" with city officials, he added.
Last week EPA officials ordered the council to send it comprehensive details of where the city's lead pipes lie and which addresses are affected by October 15. The results of lead tests carried out in the last four years were also requested, along with a plan and timetable of the specific remedial measures the council planned to use.
Mr O'Leary said Galway was "among the best" at testing the water supply but "weak" in ensuring it was safe to drink.
"With Galway we felt we had to take enforcement notice", he said. "You can take it we will most likely be issuing another direction. We want to get to the extent of testing and the extent of lead piping."
Meanwhile, residents of a street in Mallow, Co Cork, who were told last Friday to stop drinking their tap water have been informed that their pipes will be replaced shortly. The residents of Beecher Street faced a similar lead contamination problem in their water.
- Brian McDonald, Olivia Kelleher and Paul Melia
