A fresh contamination of the Ennis public water supply yesterday caused a new pollution scare, prompting the Health Service Executive (HSE) to declare Ennis's water unfit for human consumption for the third time in four months.
The HSE and Ennis Town Council imposed a "boil notice" with immediate effect on the 30,000 residents in the greater Ennis area.
Only last week,the two bodies lifted the previous "boil notice" - in place for almost a month in response to an E.coli contamination - after tests gave the supply the all-clear.
However, tests yesterday showed a new bacterial contamination of the supply as a result of a system malfunction at the town's treatment plant which led to contaminated water being pumped to homes in Ennis and surrounding villages.
In their joint statement the HSE and the town council advised that residents should boil water before preparing food, brushing teeth, making ice or preparing drinks made with water, including baby feeds.
The statement reads: "Water from hot tap is not safe to drink. Water filters should not be used as substitute for boiling. Make ice from cooled boiled water and discard existing ice cubes in fridges and freezers. Also, discard existing filtered water in fridges."
Along with Ennis, the villages of Clarecastle, Crusheen, Barefield, Doora, Drumcliff and Spancilhill are affected.
The town's antiquated treatment plant doesn't have any filter system and instead relies on chlorine. The contaminated water was caused by the chlorinator breaking down.
Chief executive of Ennis Chamber of Commerce Rita McInerney said yesterday: "People's patience is running very thin at this stage, and there is no way that we can live with this over the next two years before the new water treatment plant is put in place."
She added: "The situation is costing Ennis in terms of the direct cost to people of buying bottled water and what it is doing to Ennis's image, where, for example, tour groups from the US are reconsidering stopping in Ennis because of the water situation."
Green Party councillor Brian Meaney brought 40 litres of the Ennis water supply to Leinster House on Wednesday for TDs to sample. "We have forgotten what it is like to have a safe water supply in Ennis, where anywhere else in Ireland it would be taken for granted," he said.
Ennis town engineer Tom Tiernan said yesterday that the boil notice was a necessary precautionary measure. "The chlorinator broke down. Once detected it was corrected. Everything is up and running again," he said.
"We sincerely hope that the boil notice will be short-lived".
