Boil-water notices to remain in north Kerry

Boil-water notices will remain in place in parts of north Kerry for the rest of the week and local residents have been asked to conserve water following the recent landslide.

The landslide of elevated blanket bog in the Stacks Mountains polluted water courses, killed thousands of wild salmon and trout and left close to 30,000 people without water supplies.

The slow slide, which began on Friday afternoon, came to a stop late on Saturday night, reaching over two kilometres in length and up to 55m wide in places.

The mud seeped into north Kerry's most important water sources as well as angling rivers the Smearlagh and the Feale. The landslide swept away at least one bridge, blocked a number of minor roads, covered a river and knocked telephone poles.

A number of investigations into the cause of the landslide are currently underway amid fears that a second bout of heavy rains could cause a second slide.

The full effects of the landslide on the Smearlagh and Feale rivers may not be felt for five to 10 years, because of the migratory pattern of the life-cycle of the fish.

The cost of cleaning the rivers and returning them to their original state could run to hundreds of thousands of euro.

A spokesperson for Kerry County Council told the Irish Times today that the Drumlin water supply, which is the main supply for the area, is low on water and there is concern that amount being consumed is greater than expected. Residents have been asked to conserve supplies.

Boil-water notices will remain in place for the week for residents connected to the Lyre water supply

The spokesman said that while there was concern over a possible second landslide, experts on the ground were assessing the situation.