No action until 2028 on 'at risk' water supply in Mayo
It will be 2028 before almost 1,000 people in a Mayo area will see remedial action taken on their ‘at risk’ public water supply.
Just one public water supply in the county is deemed to be at risk, according to a report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that was published last week.
A total of 970 people in the Louisburgh area are impacted by the supply which requires action. It is estimated that it will be November 2028 by the time works are completed, which will see the source abandoned and population connected to the Westport Public Water Supply via the Murrisk Group Water Scheme.
The EPA’s Drinking Water Quality in Public Supplies 2025 report shows that Ireland’s drinking water continues to meet high standards for over four million people. Compliance with microbiological limits reached 99.8%, while chemical standards were met in 99.7% of samples analysed, which means our public water is safe to drink.
Despite this good level of compliance, the EPA has identified a list of ‘at-risk’ supplies - the Remedial Action List (RAL) - where improvements are required to ensure a safe and secure drinking water supply for consumers.
Ten ‘at-risk’ supplies were resolved during 2025, reflecting sustained progress by Uisce Éireann in upgrading their drinking water treatment infrastructure. However, 35 public water supplies still remain on the RAL at the end of 2025 and must be addressed as soon as possible.
The EPA say water restrictions must be imposed by Uisce Éireann to protect human health when they cannot provide safe drinking water due to contamination or inadequate treatment.
In 2025, some 100 supplies affecting almost 200,000 consumers were impacted by boil water notices or water restriction notices, an increase from 84 supplies in 2024. The Lough Easkey Regional Water Supply was among the supplies in the West impacted by boil notices.
The report states that Uisce Éireann must improve water treatment plant resilience to respond to changing weather conditions, raw water quality or malfunctions in the treatment process so that water restrictions are not needed in the first place.
