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| Gormley defends water quality |
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20090423 12:25:49 |
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200920092009200905052323 12:25:49 |
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The Minister for the Environment has today defended the quality of the State's water following the publication of a report that found high levels of E.coli contamination.
According to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report, levels of E.coli contamination in Irish drinking water supplies are nearly 30 times higher than found in supplies in England and Wales, with one-third of all public water supplies identified as potentially risky to human health and requiring replacement or upgrading.
Some 320 out of 952 water supplies appear on the EPA's remedial action list.
However, John Gormley said the EPA report "demonstrates that overall the quality of our water is good and that further progress has been made in improving water quality in recent years".
"The priority attached by Government to this area is reflected in funding of 500m Euros for investment in water services this year which, even in these adverse economic times, represents an increase on our record spending in 2008.
"Clearly a lot more needs to be done and our rivers, lakes and water sources are still under threat from pollution - we must continue to protect them," Mr Gormley said. The Minister said "sustained commitment" of water suppliers and their personnel would be needed to achieve further improvement in the State's water quality.
"I have been working for some time with the key stakeholders, including the local authorities, the EPA and the EU Commission to ensure that the management structures for the supply of drinking water in Ireland are of the highest standard. I am satisfied that our combined efforts will allow us to manage the supply of quality drinking water from the source to the tap."
Referring to the EPA's remedial action list, Mr Gormley said that for schemes not already scheduled for upgrading, he had set up a
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