A public drinking water supply in Donegal has been found to have illegal levels of the pesticide MCPA.
The detection was made in Fanad East, which has led to the supply being placed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) watch list.
This is the first time that MPCA was found in the level since Irish Water began sampling for pesticides in 2016. The pesticide is commonly used to kill rushes on wet land.
The pesticide poses no threat to public health, according to Irish Water.
The water authority is appealing to all users of pesticides including the farming community, sporting organisations and domestic users, to ensure that best practice measures to protect drinking waters are always followed.
“Great care must always be taken to protect drinking water supplies wherever pesticide use is considered necessary, particularly if using products for grassland weed control containing substances such as MCPA, fluroxypyr and 2,4-D,” said the notice from Irish Water.
“These substances and others have been detected in drinking water supplies across Ireland. While there is no threat to public health, the detected levels sometimes exceed the legally permitted limit value for pesticides in drinking water, which is set at an extremely low value (equivalent to one drop in an Olympic-sized swimming pool).”
The Fanad East Water Supply will remain on the EPA watch list until one full season (April-Nov inclusive) of at least monthly compliant results is obtained and submitted to the EPA.
Dr Pat O’Sullivan, Irish Water’s Regional Drinking Water Compliance Specialist said: “In Ireland, the majority (82 per cent) of drinking water supplies come from surface water sources such as rivers, lakes and streams. Supplies such as the Fanad East public water supplies are vulnerable to contamination from land and animal run-off. Irish Water asks users of pesticide products in the local catchment to consider the vulnerability of the water supply to pesticide contamination and the importance of this supply to the local community.”