This article is from page 31 of the 2007-05-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 31 JPG
THE water in Shannon is being moni- tored on an ongoing basis, to ensure chlorine levels do not reach an unsat- isfactory or unsafe level.
That was the message delivered by Clare County Council last week, in the wake of complaints regarding chlorine levels in the town’s water supply.
The issue was raised by Independ- ent councillor Gerry Flynn, who said he has received complaints regarding chlorine levels in the water.
“There is quite a distinct smell of chlorine in the water in Shannon from
time to time,” he said.
Clare County Council senior engi- neer Walter Walsh said the issue arose in Smithstown a few years ago, when the council took over the running of the town. As a result, there was “quite intensive’ monitoring of water in the area. He said the current chlorine lev- els in the water are acceptable and it Thee ae LOyeH KO) Kerem ucscaUNE-NU RVs
“Ultimately we have to be satisfied that the water we are supplying is safe. The water in Shannon 1s perfect- ly safe to drink, currently,” he pointed out.
In reply, Cllr Flynn said, “We are delighted in Shannon that we are one
of the few areas we can drink water from our taps.”
Councillor Patricia McCarthy (In- dependent) said it appeared that there were high levels of chlorine in some areas and not others.
S)itomeeD om oLe)PelCole Melt MnO eT LMU SOMA Cols pressure was lower at night-time than during day-time. She said many peo- ple living in Shannon work on shifts during the night and need the use of water prior to leaving for work at 3am or 4am.
Mr Walsh replied, “As a matter of policy we would see it as a proper thing to do to reduce the pressure at night, when the water isn’t used,” he
said. He added however that ensuring the people of the town had enough water was a priority.
“There was excessive pressure on the system and it was resulting in the bursting of the mains. We have people looking at that all the time,” he said.
The mayor of Shannon, Council- lor Tony McMahon asked were there many complaints made to the council about an odour emanating from the water in Shannon.
Mr Walsh said he was not aware of odour-related issues with the water supply and said there was no prob- lems regarding quality with the Shan- non water supply.