Kildare residents are using bottled water for nearly five years
Kildare County Council shut down the supply down when it became contaminated with arsenic
A group of Kildare residents have been using bottled water for nearly five years.
Some 66 families in the Kilteel area have been without a public supply since February when fears emerged that a contaminated supply would cause residents to become seriously ill.
The supply serving a group of people was shown to contain arsenic and people were told not to drink it - though it was safe for washing purposes and use in toilets.
Those affected were part of a group water scheme, which provides water from a privately owned supply.
Cllr Fintan Brett said he wanted Kildare County Council and Irish Water to come up with a solution.
At the time IW said it has no responsibility for group schemes.
Since then IW, or Uisce Éireann as it’s known now, has been involved in efforts to find a solution but the utility was criticised by Cllr Brett at a Naas Municipal District committee meeting. He told the meeting that five years have passed since the scheme closed and he is “very disappointed with UÉ's efforts to sort it out.
When the problem materialised, the use of a water tanker providing 3,000 litres a week at a weekly cost of €1,000 was proposed but according to KCC it would be necessary to boil the water coming from the tanker.