Water made my family sick - mother

A Ballyhaise mother-of-six believes that the water supply in the village caused her and her family to become ill over the past week, writes Thomas Lyons.
Her claims come after a 'Boil Water Notice’ notice was issued by Irish Water, Cavan County Council and the HSE late last week after coliform was detected, and the notice remains in place for around 750 customers.
Laura Garland told the Celt that she feels that there has been a problem with the water for some time. At her home in Annalee Manor, she said that she would like to have been given more information about what is wrong with the water supply.
She said: “My partner and six children have been unwell for the past few weeks. We did not understand why we were all falling sick. I have a 17-month old toddler that has been affected. I have had to buy bottled water since we got the notice.”
Laura says that boiling water for a household of eight is very costly. She says that, although there have been assurances, she is worried about future health implications: “Coliform may be harmless, but we don’t know what other health risks it could cause.”

Official statement
Last Friday, Cavan County Council issued a notice regarding water quality in Ballyhaise. The 'Boil Water Notice’ served on the Ballyhaise Public Water Supply, affects in the region of 750 consumers.
The statement said: “Following advice from the Health Service Executive, Irish Water and Cavan County Council, a Boil Water Notice was issued today [Friday] on the Ballyhaise Public Water Supply Scheme, which is served by Annagh Group Water Scheme.”
Irish Water say that the notice is aimed at protecting consumers and that the boil
water notice was put in place due to the detection of coliform bacteria in the water supply.
Coliform bacteria are a commonly used indicator of sanitary quality of foods and water. While coliforms themselves are not normally the cause of illness, their presence can be used to indicate that other pathogenic organisms of faecal origin may be present.
Such pathogens include disease-causing bacteria, viruses, or protozoa and many multicellular parasites. The recommendation from the HSE is that water must be boiled for drinking, the preparation of salads and similar foods, brushing of teeth and making ice.

Continued on page 6

Working being undertaken
Chairman of the Annagh Group Water Scheme, Michael Mulvey, said that the first indication they received about a difficulty with the supply was a notification from Cavan County Council. He said that the group has a contract to provide water to Ballyhaise and that they are 13 years into a 20-year contract.
Mr Mulvey explained that a contractor working for the Annagh Group Water Scheme was in the process of undertaking work on the treatment plant. The Group had built up two days reserves of water in the network. Then they received the notification about the coliform.
The chairman of the scheme said that the contractors were working to address the issue and they hoped that it would be sorted out as soon as possible.
At Ballyhaise Primary School the children are out and about playing in the school yard oblivious to any notice. The principal explained that the Boil Water Notice has little impact on the students as the pupils do not drinks from the mains water supply while in school.
Though she said she could not reveal, due to school policy, if any children had become ill in the past week as a result of drinking water at home.

'Inconvenience’
In the village businessman Eamonn Donohoe described the notification as an “inconvenience”. He said that he is “only 60 years” in Ballyhaise: “A few years back there were problems with the quality of the water. Then the council did a lot of work on upgrading the pipes. The supply comes from Annagh Group Water Scheme, but the problems in the past were not from there, but from the infrastructure in the town.”
The publican and shop owner said that it has been a while since they had any difficulties: “It has been about four years since the last time we had a problem. We have had a good run. The council used to regularly come out and take samples, but they don’t do that any more. I think this notice came from the HSE. In the shop we had a bit of a run on the five-litre water bottles and in the bar people were asking me about the ice cubes. I had the ice brought in from the Hotel Kilmore in Cavan, so they had nothing to worry about. It really is just an inconvenience.”
In a statement to The Anglo-Celt Irish Water said that the issue arose on the Annagh Group Water Supply following works to the scheme. “A contractor will be on site this week to carry out remedial works. Once these works have been completed and the HSE is satisfied the plant is supplying compliant water, the boil water notice will be lifted.”
Irish Water said that they will continue to liaise with Cavan County Council, the Annagh Group Water Scheme, and the HSE to ensure the boil water notice is lifted as quickly as possible and will issue a further update later in the week.