Warning as pesticides found in local water supplies

Irish Water is urging people to be responsible.

Pesticide levels in three local water supplies were found to exceed acceptable levels last year.

Irish Water has issued a warning about pesticide use due to their detection in water systems.

Four exceedances of the pesticide MCPA were detected in the public drinking water supplies in Arva, Belturbet and Gowna in 2021.

They were detected as part of Irish Water’s public water supply monitoring programme.

MCPA is the most commonly detected pesticide in drinking water sources in Ireland and is present in many commonly used herbicide products used to control thistles, docks and rushes.

However, there was a slight reduction in the number of exceedances for pesticides in public drinking water supplies in Cavan last year, according to Irish Water.

In 2020 it detected five exceedances of MCPA as part of its ongoing monitoring. This dropped to four last year.

The Arva, Belturbet and Gowna water supplies take raw water from Garty Lough and the River Erne, both of which are said to be vulnerable to runoff from land.

Irish Water is asking herbicide or pesticide users “to continue to consider the vulnerability of their local drinking water supplies to pesticide contamination and the importance of these supplies to local homes and businesses in the community”.

It’s also urged people to consider whether the chemicals need to be used at all or if there are alternative products which would be used.

“Irish Water… is asking the farming community, greens keepers, grounds keepers, and also domestic users of pesticides, to consider in each case whether they need to use pesticides at all.”

It says leaving areas unsprayed can help native flowering plant species to grow and support a range of insects including bees and other vital pollinators. One third of Ireland’s bee species are threatened with extinction and by helping the bee population survive and thrive we are also helping to protect our precious water sources.

Farmers are also warned the use of pesticides would result in a cut in payments under future environmental schemes, particularly if there is a reduction in sward species diversity on land holdings.

Dr Pat O’Sullivan, Irish Water’s Regional Drinking Water Compliance Specialist said: “In Co Cavan, the exceedances of the drinking water regulations for MCPA were noted in the Arva, Belturbet and Gowna public water supplies following routine sampling. While our consultation with the HSE has concluded that the levels we are detecting do not represent a threat to public health, they are still however undesirable in drinking water and it is therefore imperative that users of pesticides are mindful of best practice when using herbicides or pesticides and seek out alternatives.”