A shopowner in the village of Grange, Co Waterford, confirmed this week that local residents were drinking bottled water, as they believe the drinking water is contaminated with excessive nitrates.
Grange residents were considering billing Waterford County Council for the bottled water, said the shopowner, Ms Kathleen O'Brien.
"No one from the county council has been to see us since the warning notice went up," said Mrs O'Brien, referring to an official notice from Waterford County Council dated March 30th, 2001, on display in her shop.
It said: "Notice - to those connected to the Grange public water supply: attached you will find important information regarding the Grange water supply. Please read it carefully, especially if you have a small baby."
The warning begins: "Pursuant to the European Community's drinking water regulation 2000 SI 439 of 2000, Waterford County Council issue you, the consumer, with the following notice: nitrate levels exceeding the maximum allowable concentration according to the above regulations have been observed in the Grange supply."
"We have heard nothing more from them," said Ms O'Brien. The Grange postmistress, Ms Katie Hayden, said people who have had babies in the last few years were worried about the effects of the water on their children's health. "It's a bit late now for people to be told not to drink the water," she said.
In March 1999 Waterford County Council's senior executive engineer (sanitary services), Mr Eamon Mansfield, wrote to the Department of the Environment about "Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the Protection of Water against Pollution caused by Nitrates from Agricultural Sources" - the Nitrate Directive - and identified nitrate vulnerable zones based on tests at 26 groundwater sources.
The data listed Grange as serving 35 houses with a nitrate level of 68.1 - the highest level among the 28 water supplies tested. Grange stood out in particular because uniquely it bore the comment, "Abandoned due to Nitrates - no plans to reopen" in a table of "designated sources" attached to the letter.
Mr Peter Carey, the county secretary, yesterday confirmed the situation in regard to Grange was as he had outlined it recently to the local Dungarvan Observer.
It said: "The reference to the supply as abandoned was incorrect. It was intended to abandon the supply and provide a new borehole supply.
"However, since the Grange supply and the Ardmore supply were already interconnected, an alternative involved provision of a booster system to provide water from the Ardmore scheme was seen as the best solution."
Mr Carey said: "The situation would not have changed as far as I know."
Later yesterday Mr Carey confirmed in writing: "There is a new system in place to supply water to Grange from the Ardmore scheme. This is currently under test and will replace the existing borehole source."
The residents of Grange, meanwhile, continue to drink bottled water.