Third water crisis hits Galway homes

Galway has been hit by a water contamination crisis for the third time this year. Thousands of residents in the south of the county have been issued with a "boil water" notice after bacteria was discovered in the public supply.

People living in the Clarinbridge, Kilcolgan and Ballinderreen areas have been told not to use tap water and to boil all water for cooking or drinking until further notice.

High measures of the organism clostridium perfringens, which can cause gastrointestinal illness, have been discovered in the public supply. The organism is also regarded as an indicator of cryptosporidium, which contaminated the Galway city area supply for almost 100,000 people for five months earlier this year.

This latest water alert comes less than two months after the cryptosporidium crisis ended in the city and weeks after an E-coli scare in the water system in the suburb of Knocknacarra. Galway County Council has advised householders in the south of the county that the "boil water" notice has been introduced as a precautionary measure.

Local PD Councillor Jim Cuddy has called for the fast-tracking of a new sewerage system for the area. "I have been assured by the county manager that his people are working flat out to find the source of this contamination."

Brian McDonald
Irish Independent

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