Water Safety

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for giving me the opportunity to raise a very serious issue that has developed in north Kerry. There is a saltwater intrusion in the water system in the Ballyheigue public water supply and Clanmaurice group water scheme, affecting about 3,600 households and about 7,000 people, going all the way from Ballyheigue to Kerry Head, Cleandries, Boolenshare, Dromnacara and Rathmore. The areas of Kilmoyley, Causeway and Ballyheigue have been severely affected. I understand this presents great challenges. It is an area with probably the hardest water in the whole country. It is a flat area of County Kerry where the drop from the bridge outside Lixnaw going down to Ballyheigue is probably only 22 feet. Having said that, it is disappointing, having raised the issue, that neither the Minister, Deputy Browne, nor any of the Ministers of State in his Department has deemed the issue sufficiently serious to come in to deal with the question today. I mean no disrespect to the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy. While people have been fairly resilient over the past week since the "do not consume" notice was given to 3,600 households, they are getting fed up. They are boiling water. With energy bills the way they are at the moment, that costs them extra expense. The "do not consume" notice they have received states that the water that is currently there and has been polluted, probably by a seawater ingress, should not be used for drinking, preparing drinks of water, washing food or brushing teeth. People in the area are worried that some older people in the community are continuing to do things like that because of an absence of water supplies. Businesses have been affected. Jimmy Browne's hotel, the White Sands Hotel, has had to use bottled water. People in the area assisting older people in the community and preparing meals for them are also affected. People need answers and clarity. Unfortunately, engagement with their elected representatives has been far from satisfactory and it is not good enough for people to have to tune in to Jerry O'Sullivan's "Kerry Today" show to wait for the latest update. People are becoming more anxious and wonder when a solution will be found. I understand and appreciate that Uisce Éireann staff have engaged a hydrologist, capped pipes, carried out specific surveys and have a quite a good system of supplying alternative water at various car parks in Causeway and Kilmoyley church, Ballyheigue beach, the old graveyard in Ballyheigue and Cantillon's Cross. During a Dáil term when there are proposals to set aside €50 billion to bring water from the Shannon to Dublin, I want to make sure that sufficient resources and funding are made available in a worst case scenario. I wonder how far inland the seawater has gone along the aquifer on what is a very flat area, from Line Road to Causeway. Questions like that are being asked. Has any testing been carried out that far along the road? People need assurances that sufficient resources will be supplied by the Government. They want to know that the Minister is serious about dealing with the problem and that communication will be made with the community, which is becoming more anxious and upset day by day.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue for his constituents. It is important to note that the Minister, Deputy Browne, not only sends his apologies but has engaged extensively on this. He, along with the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, is focused on the issues surrounding this. Statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services, planning delivery and operations rests with Uisce Éireann at national, regional and local level. However, I understand that it has acknowledged the significant disruption experienced by customers in Ballyheigue, Kilmoyley, Causeway and the surrounding areas following the issuing of a "do not consume" notice on the Ballyheigue public water supply. Protecting public health is its absolute priority. The notice was issued following the detection of an issue affecting the raw salt supplying the Ballyheigue water treatment plant. Following a consultation with the HSE, Uisce Éireann took the precautionary decision to issue a consumer notice while investigations and emergency response measures were commenced. Since the notice was issued, Uisce Éireann has mobilised operational water quality teams to respond to the matter. Investigations remain ongoing and extensive monitoring and testing of the water services continues. Current investigations are focused on suspected saltwater ingress affecting the source water, with teams working around the clock to determine the precise cause and implement any necessary corrective measures. The "do not consume" notice remains in place because protecting public health is a priority. This is not a boil water notice and customers are advised not to use tap water for drinking, preparing food, cooking or brushing their teeth as boiling the water will not make it safe to consume. The notice will remain in place until Uisce Éireann, in consultation with the HSE, is satisfied that the water supply is safe for consumption. To support affected communities, alternative water supplies were put in place immediately and remain available at Causeway church car park, Kilmoyley, the church car park at Ballyheigue beach, Ballyheigue old graveyard and Cantillon's Cross, Kerry Head. These supplies continue to be replenished regularly while the notice remains in effect. Uisce Éireann continues to engage directly with vulnerable customers and has encouraged anyone requiring additional support to contact its customer care team. Registered vulnerable customers receive a direct communication when water quality notices are issued and dedicated supports remain available throughout this incident. Uisce Éireann fully appreciates the concern and inconvenience this situation is causing for households, businesses, schools and community organisations across the affected area. The teams remain focused on restoring the safe drinking water supply as quickly as possible, while ensuring all necessary public safeguards remain in place. Updates will continue to be provided as additional information becomes available and when it is safe to lift the notice.

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. Most of it has been given to him by Uisce Éireann and was already outlined in the "do not consume" notice. I ask him to tell his colleagues who could or would not be here today to ensure that Uisce Éireann provides somebody who will give answers, updated daily, to elected representatives who are being contacted by constituents in the affected areas. I also ask that every single option is used to provide resources and explore every alternative source of water for the areas affected. We know the Glenderry source has been ruled out as a possibility by Uisce Éireann for various reasons. Perhaps that could be reconsidered. Perhaps water could come from the Listowel scheme or central regional scheme, which is a few miles away and could be extended. It is important that more focus is brought onto this by the Minister in charge. He needs to roll up his sleeves and explore every single possible option so that safe drinking water can be provided to the 7,000 people in the area who are affected. Their frustrations, concerns and worries about how it is affecting bottled water for their children, for example, need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. It requires more urgency from Uisce Éireann and the Government, in particular. I have to acknowledge that Uisce Éireann's limited staff are working day and night to try to deal with the complaints and situation on the ground, but perhaps extra resources need to be brought in to help the hydrologists, engineers and ground staff who are trying to make good of a bad situation.

I thank the Deputy and I appreciate he has expressed concerns for his constituents. Playing politics around this with Ministers who do not have direct responsibility for this does not help. The Deputy is well aware that there is now a €1.4 billion capital investment in Uisce Éireann as part of the budget. He is well aware the Ministers are focused, like everybody else, on working with Uisce Éireann. It is important to acknowledge the work of the staff of Uisce Éireann on the ground to try to do everything possible to resolve this issue for the Deputy's constituents. The Minister and his team will be absolutely focused on doing that as well.