Latest news with #waterquality
BreakingNews.ie
2 hours ago
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Urgent need for mandatory registration of private drinking water supplies
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said there is an urgent need for mandatory registration of private drinking water supplies. It is raising concerns that many private supplies are not registered, despite serving schools, nursing homes, sports clubs and self-catering accommodation. Advertisement Noel Byrne, the EPA's programme manager of the drinking water and wastewater enforcement team, told Newstalk radio that everyone has a right to safe drinking water, but supplies that are not registered are not monitored. "Many of these businesses with wells are not registered with local authorities and therefore, they're not monitored by local authorities and that's creating a risk to public health, so today the EPA are calling for the mandatory registration of businesses that supply water to the public from their own well, really to make sure that the proper checks are completed by the local authorities on these supply and that removes the public health risks," Mr Byrne said. According to the EPA, over 370 private group schemes supply drinking water to 193,000 people across rural communities in Ireland, not including the businesses and public facilities that supply water from their own wells, called small private supplies. The agency said that almost 1,700 small private supplies are registered with local authorities, but many more are not. Advertisement The EPA said that as a result, the total number of small private supplies in the country remains unknown. Meanwhile, 24 private groups failed to meet E. coli standards in 2024, up from 13 in 2022, the agency said. Six schemes had repeat failures over two consecutive years, five of which are on long-term boil water notices. Meeting E. coli standards is a minimum requirement in the provision of safe drinking water, and failures were recorded in 51 small private supplies that were monitored by local authorities.
CBS News
8 hours ago
- CBS News
Orange County officials investigate mass fish die-off in Laguna Niguel Regional Park
Orange County officials launched an investigation in Laguna Niguel Regional Park after local fishermen found a large number of dead bass floating in the water. "I saw all the dead fish," fisherman Aidan Woodward said. "There was probably like a 1,000 dead fish at least." Woodward, who began fishing for bass at the man-made lake as a child, found the fish in the creek on Monday. He and fishermen posted pictures and videos to social media. "We are seeing live fish that are swimming around that are pretty much halfway dead, almost floating," fisherman Jakle Bray said. It's such a shame for having such a good fishery here for so many years and just die almost overnight." Laguna Niguel Lake is in Supervisor Katrina Foley's district. Her staff is investigating everything from water quality to algae in the lake, as well as bubblers that add oxygen, which is crucial for the survival of the fish. "When the weather changes drastically, certain types of fish aren't able to take in the oxygen as quickly," Assistant Chief of Staff Alyssa Napuri said. "Bass and blue gill are not able to deal with warmer climates, and that's why the OC parks have been introducing catfish."
Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Environment watchdog recommends mandating registration of private drinking water supplies
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has called on the Government to urgently introduce mandatory registration for all private drinking water supplies because of ongoing contamination and the absence of accurate data on people getting their water from such sources. In its report on private water supplies for 2024 published on Tuesday, it highlights the total number of small private supplies remains unknown as there is no legal obligation to register, while unregistered supplies are not monitored by local authorities – despite a worsening problem in the sector. Water quality in private water supplies 'is not as good as public water supplies', with the number of private group schemes failing to meet standards in 2024 at 24; up from 13 in 2022. More than 370 private group schemes supply drinking water to 193,000 people across rural communities. In addition, many businesses and public facilities source water from their own private wells – known as small private supplies. Almost 1,700 small private supplies are registered with local authorities, but many more are not. These include supplies serving schools, nursing homes, sports clubs and self-catering accommodation. EPA director Micheál Lehane said: 'Without registration and subsequent monitoring by local authorities, consumers are unaware of the potential health risk they may be exposed to.' In the interim, the EPA said private suppliers should register with local authorities 'so all proper safety checks can be carried out on their supply'. Meeting standards is a minimum requirement in providing safe water and failures indicate lack of proper disinfection. Six schemes had repeat failures over two consecutive years and five of these are on long-term boil water notices. failures were recorded in 51 small private supplies monitored by local authorities. Programme manager at the EPA office of environmental monitoring Noel Byrne said: ' compliance has declined with almost double the number of private supplies failing in 2024 compared to 2022.' In 2024, 19 private group schemes supplying 21,800 people failed the standard for Trihalomethanes, which can form when organic matter in water reacts with chlorine disinfectant – long-term exposure poses a health risk.
CBS News
10 hours ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Half-a-dozen beaches in Minneapolis closed due to high levels of dangerous bacteria
Six beaches across Minneapolis are temporarily closed after routine testing detected high levels of E. coli bacteria in the water. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board says beaches at Lake Harriet, Bde Maka Ska, and Lake Hiawatha are among those affected. Officials believe recent rainfall and animal waste runoff are contributing to the spike in bacteria levels. "So in the United States, most swim-related illnesses are associated with disease-causing organisms that are linked to fecal contamination, aka poop," Leah Larson with Hennepin Public Health said. "One of the most common sources that we see is going to be from goose, duck and other animal runoff, especially after a big storm event." Blue-green algae blooms are also a concern in some areas, which can pose health risks to both people and pets. Minneapolis resident Sydney Reuter said she monitors water quality before deciding to swim. "I don't swim in lakes if I know that it's not safe," Reuter said. "And I do check online, there's a really good interactive map that I like to use for Minneapolis parks." Reuter added that closures are common this time of year, particularly at Lake Hiawatha. "Every year, pretty early on for this lake, at least Hiawatha, it gets hot, we get enough rain, and it just shuts down for either bacteria or algae," she said. Health officials advise swimmers to avoid murky water, rinse off before and after swimming, and wait at least 24 hours after heavy rain before entering a lake. Beaches will reopen once bacteria levels return to safe levels based on state health guidelines.
The Independent
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Environment Secretary urged to apologise for ‘misleading' Scottish water claims
The Scottish Government is demanding an apology from UK Environment Secretary Steve Reed for 'inaccurate and misleading' made about water quality north of the border. Mr Reed came under fire after claiming that under publicly-owned Scottish Water 'pollution levels in Scotland are worse than they are in England'. The UK Government minister made the remarks to Channel 4 News as he dismissed calls for water services south of the border to be nationalised. Gillian Martin, the Scottish Government Secretary for Climate Action and Energy, said she was 'extremely disappointed' that Mr Reed had made the 'inaccurate and misleading comments regarding performance in Scotland' as he sought to 'dismiss out of hand the value of public ownership of a key asset like water'. She wrote to Mr Reed noting that Monday's report from the Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, had found 66% of Scotland's water bodies to be of good ecological status, compared with 16.1% in England and 29.9% in Wales. And while she accepted the figures for the different countries were 'not calculated on the same basis', Ms Martin stated: 'It is clear that Scotland has a higher performance.' She insisted that 'much of the improvement' seen in water in Scotland was 'due to significant investment in the water industry to reduce pollution', which she said was driven by both Scottish Water and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa). Ms Martin told the UK Environment Secretary: 'Your comments sought also to undermine the idea of public ownership in the minds of voters, yet this is clearly what the people of Scotland continue to want. 'Indeed, it is the very fact of that public ownership and control which has allowed us to keep water bills lower for people, compared to what people with privatised water supplies in England have to pay.' Noting that Sepa had found 87% of the Scottish water environment to be of 'high' of 'good' quality – up from 82% in 2014 – she insisted this was 'in part, due to water being a publicly-owned asset, allowing for investment without shareholder returns or the pressure to make profits'. The Scottish Government minister went on to tell Mr Reed: 'I am therefore asking that you acknowledge that your comments were inaccurate, that you apologise publicly for making them, and seek to correct them.' Sir Jon's review of water services south of the border did not explore renationalising water companies – with the Government at Westminster opposed to this despite demands from campaigners for a return to public ownership in England. Mr Reed however warned that nationalisation would cost £100 billion and would slow down efforts to cut pollution. The UK Government has been contacted for comment.
