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Swanlinbar water supply removed from at-risk list following Uisce Éireann upgrade works

25 November 2020

Over 300 Uisce Éireann customers in Swanlinbar, Co Cavan, are enjoying a better quality and more secure supply of drinking water following the completion of upgrade works to the local water treatment plant following an investment of €500,000.

Uisce Éireann, working in partnership with Cavan County Council and two contractors – Coffey Water and Veolia, completed essential upgrades to the Swanlinbar Water Treatment Plant which has now been removed from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Remedial Action List (RAL). The RAL is a list of at-risk schemes, and customers supplied by the Swanlinbar Public Water Supply (PWS) will be happy to know their scheme is no longer at risk.

Explaining further why Swanlinbar PWS was on the RAL Dr Pat O’Sullivan, Uisce Éireann’s Compliance Specialist said: “Swanlinbar was placed on the RAL towards the end of 2019 after a Do Not Consume notice was placed on the scheme due to a failure in the disinfection system. Uisce Éireann adopted our Drinking Water Safety Plan approach to critically assess all the risks at the plant and an extensive upgrade of the plant followed which ensures the plant will provide a safe and secure supply of water into the future. The EPA are satisfied that all of the works that were completed on time and to the appropriate standards have addressed the risks and are in line with the Drink Water Safety Plan.

Explaining the technicalities of the works carried out, Martin Temple, Uisce Éireann added: “In a response to the failure of the disinfection system at the Swanlinbar Water Treatment Plant Uisce Éireann invested €500,000 to upgrade the plant. As part of this project, Uisce Éireann upgraded the existing water treatment plant to include the installation of pH correction units; installation of a raw water shut-down system; improved alarms and shut-down systems and an upgrade of the disinfection process. These improvement works will ensure the residents and businesses in Swanlinbar and surrounding area will receive safe and clean drinking water due to the improved water treatment processes now in place.

Uisce Éireann continues to work at this time with our Local Authority partners, contractors and others to safeguard the health and well-being of both staff and the public and to ensure the continuity of critical drinking water and wastewater services. Uisce Éireann would like to remind people to follow the HSE COVID-19 advice and ensure frequent handwashing.

Significant capital investment is needed over a sustained period of several decades to address the poor condition of Ireland’s water and wastewater infrastructure. Works have been prioritised to address the most critical issues in line with commitments outlined in the Government’s Water Services Policy Statement and Uisce Éireann’s Strategic Funding Plan. Uisce Éireann has invested €3.8 billion in water and wastewater infrastructure to the end of 2019 and plans to invest a further €5.2 billion under its Capital Investment Programme from 2020 to 2024 in drinking water and wastewater quality and capacity and new infrastructure.