Ennis water ban to stay for old, young and sick

The young, the sick and the elderly were yesterday advised by the Health Service Executive (HSE) not to drink from the Ennis water supply for the next two years.

The outright ban on 30,000 residents in the greater Ennis area drinking from the public water supply was yesterday lifted with immediate effect by the HSE and Ennis Town Council after almost one month due to an E.coli contamination of the supply.

However, the HSE has advised that the young, the sick and the elderly or any other section of the community vulnerable to infection should continue not drinking from the water supply without first boiling until the provision of a new water treatment plant in July 2007.

The warning also applies to visitors to Ennis, and a joint statement from the two agencies yesterday advised that "institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes, creches, pre-schools and daycare centres serving vulnerable people should continue to boil tap water or use alternative supplies."

The advice to hospitals, daycare centres and creches not to allow their patients or residents drink tap water is expected to add tens of thousands of euro to those facilities' expenses over the next two years as they buy in bottled water.

A spokesman for the HSE said that the advice to the vulnerable sections of the community was because of the risk of infection from the public water supply.

He said: "It is there as a precaution and will remain in place until the provision of a new treatment plant for Ennis.

"We just have to hope for the best and that the chlorine treatment of the water will keep the contamination under control."

Highlighting the vulnerability of the Ennis water supply system, the joint statement advises "that heavy rainfall may affect the quality of the water supply".

Tender documents for the plant have only recently been approved, and it is not expected to become operational until July 2007.

The current plant has no filtration system, making it extremely vulnerable to contamination.

Representatives of two community-based facilities yesterday urged the town council to provide water tankers to the sectors of the community that must still boil their water.

The community-owned Cahercalla Community Hospital cares for 100 long-stay elderly patients and has bought in large quantities of bottled water in response to the recent advice by the HSE, according to the hospital's nurse manager, Rose Collins.

Chairwoman of the Clarecastle Day Care Centre Mary Morrissey said yesterday: "No one will feel comfortable drinking the water when the ban is lifted only partially. It is extremely worrying and tankers should be provided by the council."

The recent warning about the public water supply was the second time in three months that the public in the greater Ennis area had been advised not to drink from the water supply.

Last June the two agencies issued a "boil notice" - which lasted for two weeks - after five pre-school children were diagnosed with cryptosporidiosis, a diarrheal disease.