CONCERNS HAVE BEEN EXPRESSED surrounding the potential health hazards that may arise from the water quality in Cree and Cooraclare.
Irish Water have acknowledged a repeated series of bursts in Cree and Cooraclare with three alone recorded in the month of April. They have attributed the discolouration to the outages and the “disturbance of the pipelines and subsequent flushing of the mains”.
A spokesperson for Irish Water stated, “in all cases, water being supplied is fully compliant with a programme of sampling and analysis across the distribution network”.
Plans for a 1.6km section for a water main south of Cooraclare between Tullabrack and the village is proceeding to design stage. “It is noted that bursts on this line cause outages in Cooraclare and beyond. We are also assessing a 700m section of 8” main near Alva between Cree and Cooraclare which has a history of recent bursts. All works remain subject to funding approval to go to construction”.
Cllr PJ Kelly (FF) had called on Irish Water “to ensure that pure water” is delivered to the area in a proposal before the West Clare Municipal District. He said the colour of the water emerging from the taps of homes in Cooraclare and Cree was unbelievable. “I’m a teetotaller but there was a temptation because it looked like duty-free beer,” he quipped.
Kelly continued, “Water of this nature appears to be a health hazard, the body that delivered it have left themselves wide open. Seeing is believing, when I saw it first I had to question it so I visited it”. Beer producers would be envious, the Lissycasey native remarked, “it looks like certain material is coming from Doolough”.
According to Cllr Ian Lynch (IND), a “huge investment is required but it’s coming in dribs and drabs”. He said Irish Water were “answerable to nobody and we are just sick of it. It is lunacy trying to deal with Irish Water, they are a waste of time”.
“If that is an advertisement for Irish Water, we don’t need it,” Kelly commented of the water conditions.
