Irish Water to use chemical to curb lead contamination

IRISH Water plans to deal with the problem of lead contamination by adding a chemical to the water which helps prevent corrosion in pipes.

The State-owned utility is running a pilot treatment programme in Limerick, with councillors briefed on the plans yesterday.

Limerick was chosen due to the high number of properties with lead service pipes, while the programme has been approved by the HSE and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

But Anti-Austerity Alliance TD Paul Murphy claimed Irish Water should replace pipes to deal with lead contamination as is best practice in a number of other countries. The announcement comes months after Irish Water revealed that as many as 150,000 homes could be affected by l ead contamination.

Irish Water is responsible for replacing lead pipes on public property. In January it estimated that could cost as much as €250million, with another €50million to coat some lead pipes with a special lining to reduce contamination of the water.

Orthophosphate treatment has been carried out successfully in the UK, US, Canada and mainland Europe since the late Nineties. All water treatment plants in Northern Ire- land have had continuous orthophosphate treatment for over ten years, where the lead compliance rate is very high.

Jerry Grant, head of asset management with Irish Water, said yesterday: ‘Orthophosphate treatment addresses the public health objective in reducing the level of lead dissolved into water passing through lead pipework. By doing so it’s possible to reduce lead consumptions levels in a safe way and I would like to reassure people in Limerick that what we are proposing to do is safe.

‘This is not a new method of reducing lead levels, it is in fact already being done in many countries.’

He added: ‘One other key element of this pilot programme is to study the environmental effect of its introduction in Ireland.’

But yesterday Socialist Party TD Mr Murphy said Irish Water’s ‘selling point’ was investment in infrastructure so lead pipes should be replaced.

He said: ‘The supposed selling point of Irish water is infrastructure investment.

‘This is an obvious area for infrastructural investment and what would seem to be more a long-term solution would be the replacement of pipes. That seems to be the best practice in other European countries and it can be done. Irish Water has to take responsibility for it. It shouldn’t become the responsibility of homeowners.’