This article is from page 1 of the 2009-05-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 1 JPG
THE ENVIRONMENTAL Protec- tion Agency (EPA) is to prosecute Clare county council for allowing water untreated for the parasite, cryptospordium into the Ennis water system over a five month period.
The council 1s accused of breaching an EPA directive preventing it from allowing water by-pass the new tem- porary treatment for cryptosporid- ium from May 1 to October 21 last year. The case is due to be heard at Ennis District Court on June 25.
Three young children fell il from cryptosporidium in February of last year prompting the EPA to issue the directive that all water going through the system be treated for cryptosporidium — a diarrheal dis- ease, which has symptoms including abdominal cramps, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and low grade fever.
A partial boil notice has remained in place for 30,000 residents since the initial outbreak in June 2005. Despite spending €3 million on a temporary treatment plant, the council was un- able to comply with the directive and up to 30 per cent of water in the public water supply continued to be untreat- ed for the bug last summer.
The council’s new €9 million treat- ment plant has failed initial tests de- laying the lifting of the partial boil notice until July at the earliest.
When the council adhered to the di- rective last July, the reservoirs were almost empty with some areas hav- ing water cut off to ensure supplies to the local hospital and water for the fire service was severely curtailed.
In a letter to the EPA last year, Council engineer, Tom Tiernan said the move to restore a proper supply by partially by-passing the filtration plant for crytosporidium was done in consultation with the EPA and HSE.