Over 99.8% of samples from public water supplies comply with bacterial and chemical limits, a report carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found.

The Drinking Water Quality in Public Supplies Report 2024, released on Wednesday 2 July, shows that our public water is safe to drink.

However, many supplies still lack robust treatment to guarantee their long-term resilience, according to the EPA.

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The EPA's Remedial Action List (RAL) identifies ‘at-risk’ supplies that require improvements to safeguard public health.

In 2024, there was a reduction in the number of people served by supplies on the Remedial Action List - down to almost 497,000 (from 561,000 in 2023).

Action programme

At the end of 2024, there were seven supplies that remained on the RAL for over two years and, while an action programme is currently being defined by Uisce Éireann for these supplies, a completion

date has yet to be provided.

The EPA has taken enforcement action in 2024 against Uisce Éireann by issuing 20 legally binding directions for supplies on the Remedial Action List. This is to ensure long-term improvements are carried out in the timeframe proposed.

The were also 33 long-term boil water notices in 2024, down one-third from 2023.

Launching the report, Dr Micheál Lehane, EPA director said: “Our public water quality remains very high. This means that the public can remain confident that drinking water supplied to their homes is safe to drink. While I welcome the decrease in the number of people served by ‘at-risk’ supplies, the EPA - through our audit programme - continues to identify supplies that lack adequate resilience.

Long-term sustained investment in water services infrastructure is required to provide resilience into the future, he added.

Lead risk to health

Regarding lead in drinking water, Noel Byrne, EPA programme manager, said it is a cumulative risk to human health and must be removed from our supply network.

The risk, he said, is greatest for young children, infants and babies in the womb.

"Despite Ireland having a National Lead Strategy in place since 2015, progress to date has been far too slow. The legal limit for lead in our drinking water will halve in 2036 (from 10ugl to 5ug/l) - so much greater focus is needed by Government departments and Uisce Éireann to remove lead from the supply network and public buildings," he said.