Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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I want to raise the issue of the drinking water supply for the people of Barndarrig in County Wicklow. On 9 February this year, a "do not consume" notice was issued as a result of high nitrate levels in the water supply. It has since been reissued, just this week. A "Do not consume" notice is particularly difficult to deal with during a pandemic, but the residents of Barndarrig have been patient. They have been waiting for Irish Water and Wicklow County Council to deal with this issue, but there is still not clarity on when the "Do not consume" notice will be lifted and what solutions Irish Water is looking at to ensure it can be lifted and that it will not happen again and on why the nitrate levels were so high in the first place.

There are a couple of immediate issues for the community in Barndarrig. The water which is being left for them is in 5 l bottles. It is being left outside in plastic bottles in the sunshine. There are huge littering issues as a result and the bottles are not handy to use, particularly for elderly residents, because they are quite heavy and cumbersome.

There is also an issue with that water in that it has quite a high mineral content. Numerous people have been saying their kettles are being destroyed by the content of the water. I have asked Irish Water to put in a tanker in combination with the water bottles and I am hoping the Minister of State will be able to let me know tonight it will happen.

There are also issues in terms of the communication. The "Do not consume" notice was issued three times over the past number of months, but the residents in Barndarrig have said they have not received much communication from Irish Water on this issue. They would like clarity on what is happening. I ask the Minister of State for an update on what Irish Water is doing, whether it has a timeline and endpoint for this "Do not consume" notice, whether there is any indication of what has happened to cause those high nitrate levels and what Irish Water's solutions are.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Whitmore for raising this important issue. My priority in these situations is always to ensure that people's health is protected. The Deputy will appreciate the operation of the Barndarrig public water supply is a matter for Irish Water which, since 1 January 2014, has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local level. The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, as environmental regulator, is responsible for setting quality standards and enforcing compliance with EU directives and national regulations for the provision of drinking water.

However, from inquiries which my Department has made with Irish Water, I understand the "Do not consume" notice currently in place for the area supplied by the Barndarrig water treatment plant was issued on 9 February 2021. This followed consultation between Irish Water, Wicklow County Council and the Health Service Executive, HSE, to protect approximately 213 customers in this area, due to elevated levels of nitrates in the water supply.

It is important to note this is not a boil water notice as boiling the water would not reduce nitrite levels and is, therefore, not a suitable measure to make the water safe to consume. However, the water can still be used for sanitation and hygiene purposes, including hand washing which is critical during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Irish Water, together with Wicklow County Council, continues to arrange an alternative water supply by providing bottled water at a location in Barndarrig to support impacted customers, in accordance with current Covid-19 restrictions. Delivery of water supplies are also being arranged for vulnerable customers who are registered on this supply. However, as the Deputy requested in her opening remarks, I will raise this issue with Irish Water in terms of the tanker to which she referred.

Irish Water is installing additional equipment at the water treatment plant, which will treat the water to reduce nitrate compounds and this will help safeguard the water supply at Barndarrig. The Irish Water team is working to install and calibrate this equipment, which will take a few weeks to complete. Once this work is completed, Irish Water will consult with the HSE with a view to lifting the "Do not consume" notice.

My Department's priority is to ensure people's health is protected and that adequate water is available for personal hygiene and the washing of hands during the Covid-19 pandemic. We all want to see this notice lifted without undue delay, but only when the HSE and the EPA have confirmed the water supply is safe. Additional information and advice is available on Irish Water's website or by calling Irish Water's 24-hour customer care line.

Both our water and waste water systems require substantial and sustained investment to bring the systems up to the quality and resilience standards required of a modern service, provide for population growth and build resilience in the face of climate change.

As part of budget 2021, I secured funding of more than €1.4 billion to support water services. This includes €1.3 billion in respect of domestic water services provision by Irish Water. The overall investment will deliver significant improvements in our public water and waste water services, support improved water supplies throughout Ireland, including rural Ireland, and support a range of programmes delivering improved water quality in our rivers, lakes and marine area.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response and for saying he will look into the issue of the tanker. It is a small thing but it would make quite a bit of difference for the people in Barndarrig. I am also pleased to see it looks as though it could be just a matter of weeks before the notice can be lifted. That is a positive statement.

A continuous biochemistry monitor was to be put on the system. Does the Minister of State know when that will happen, or is that equipment part of what is going on at present?

The issue of communication is a simple one but it is important to the people of Barndarrig. Irish Water has notified local media about matters and puts information up on its website but in a small rural community like Barndarrig putting information in the local shop is also a good way to reach people. We are only talking about 213 houses so it might be possible for Irish Water to write directly to those residents if there is significant news. That would be appreciated.

The other issue I wish to raise is that while Irish Water has put in place drinking water supply plans, Barndarrig has not been prioritised. Due to the vulnerability of this system, I ask that Irish Water reprioritise it and ensure that a plan is put in place for Barndarrig because there have been many periods of vulnerability and water supply issues in the area. From a more long-term perspective, we need to look at why there are such high levels of nitrite in that water supply, and see where it is coming from and what remediation measures can be put in place to ensure this does not occur again in the future. We need to make that community's water supply more robust and sustainable.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I again thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. I acknowledge the patience and co-operation of the residents of Barndarrig, particularly the very vulnerable people and businesses that have been affected by this notice. As already stated, my concern is that people's health is protected. I want these notices lifted without delay but only when the water is again safe to drink. Irish Water is working closely with the authorities and monitoring the situation to ensure that happens as quickly as possible. Irish Water's primary function is to provide safe, clean drinking water to customers, treat waste water and return water safely to the environment. In providing these critical services, Irish Water plays a role in enabling social and economic growth and protecting the environment as well as the health and safety of the public.

As a single national utility, Irish Water is taking a strategic and nationwide approach to asset planning, investment and meeting customer requirements. However, our entire water system will need substantial and sustained investment over a number of investment cycles to fully improve performance and resilience. Investment will also be needed to deliver new water capacity for our growing population and to deal with the increasing impacts of climate change. Prioritising the order of the work and the associated investment will require ongoing engagement between Irish Water and its regulators, the EPA and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of necessary water outcomes and to improve overall water system resilience. As Deputy Whitmore requested, I will ask Irish Water about the nitrates monitor and I will also raise the issue of communication. She made a very good suggestion about utilising the local shop, considering the number of residents impacted. We hope the issue will be resolved within a few weeks. I will also raise the matter of the water deliveries with Irish Water and will revert to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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As Deputy Hourigan and the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science are not here, with the permission of the House we will move on to the next matter and someone might make contact with the Minister's Department while we do so. Is that agreed? Agreed. We will revert to the two matters we have passed over and I ask that someone make contact with the Deputy and the Minister in the interim.