Remedial Action List
The Remedial Action List is a register of public water supplies in need of significant corrective action, usually at the treatment plant. The EPA has identified the preparation and completion of action programmes for listed supplies as one of the priority actions required to protect our drinking water. The EPA updates the Remedial Action List every three months. When Irish Water has shown that the issue has been fixed, a supply can be removed from the Remedial Action List.
Public water supplies are added to the list for one or more of the following reasons:
• Persistent failure to comply with the standards for priority parameters: E. coli, trihalomethanes, pesticides, aluminium or turbidity;
• Inadequate treatment, for example, where there is no treatment other than chlorination for a surface water supply;
• Monitoring results or compliance checks by the EPA indicate a lack of operational control at the supply’s treatment plant;
• The Health Service Executive identifies a supply where improvements are required. Progress with Remedial Action List
The first Remedial Action List in 2008 identified 339 public water supplies (representing 36% of public water supplies at that time) that required remedial action.
Irish Water submits progress reports to the EPA every three months and the EPA publishes a Remedial Action List update on the EPA website
While the overall trend in the number of supplies on the Remedial Action List is moving in the right direction, the need for significant corrective action continues to be identified at supplies, year after year.
As of 2019 the EPA was seriously concerned at the delays in the completion of works. At the end of 2018, all supplies had completion dates no later than 2021. At the end of 2019, this situation had changed significantly with completion dates in 2024 and beyond. Irish Water also state they cannot commit to completion dates for some of these supplies, due to funding to deliver the required action programmes not being available before the end of 2024. The EPA is assessing Irish Water’s revised timeframes, and in certain circumstances is directing Irish Water to complete works in shorter timeframes.
The EPA is also concerned with Irish Water’s failure to put in place an action programme with a defined timeframe for all supplies on the Remedial Action List. Some of the supplies on this list have had multiple solutions proposed by Irish Water, which ultimately do not work or get delayed.
EPA Drinking Water Remedial Action List Q2 of 2021
The Remedial Action list is a record of the public water supplies known to be at risk and where the EPA is requiring Irish Water to take corrective action. The EPA has instructed Irish Water to submit an action programme for the improvement of each of these supplies and has initiated enforcement action where action programmes were not being prepared or were not prepared to the satisfaction of the EPA. This includes issuing legally binding Directions requiring specific work to be carried out.