Water Quality Problems

[pete]

Irish Times (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0930/1222724573124.html)



ELEVEN LOCAL authorities involving 23 areas have reported excessive lead levels in their water supplies, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has revealed.


Galway emergency water 'unsafe' (http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0927/water.html)



An emergency water supply being provided for residents in the Old Mervue area of Galway city has had to be suspended because high levels of lead were found in it overnight

What kind of clowns running Galway City Council?

[eamo1]

Those are the 2 muppets responsible.Hayes should have been punted out after the other crisis last year.There was a protest outside City Hall last year and im surprised there isnt this time,but i guess it "only" affects 4 estates so others dont care.Its a joke though.Btw,the whole City Council are the biggest clowns though,dont get me started on that lot.

[John83]

Are these problems due to some failure of maintenance, or is it just that no one ever tested this before? I get the impression that it's the latter. Of course it should be fixed, but people seem to be making it out to be a bigger deal than it is.

[Bald Student]

Are these problems due to some failure of maintenance, or is it just that no one ever tested this before? I get the impression that it's the latter. Of course it should be fixed, but people seem to be making it out to be a bigger deal than it is.They were saying on the radio last night that the chemicals that were added to the water to remove the infections might have loosened the inside layer of lead in the pipes.

A sample of people from the area affected were tested and none had unusual levels of lead in them so it does seem to be mostly precautionary.

[pete]

At least they got their bonuses (http://www.independent.ie/national-news/big-bonus-for-water--crisis-city-bosses-1468921.html) for last year.


SIX local authority bosses in Galway city were paid almost €70,000 in performance-related bonuses last year, despite the water crisis which crippled local tourism.

The Committee for Performance Awards (CPA), made up of senior civil servants and the managers of Dublin City and Cork County, decided to award the bonuses -- despite the population of Galway being unable to drink tap water for much of last year because the supply became contaminated with a potentially fatal bug.

Keep up the good work.

[Macy]

They were saying on the radio last night that the chemicals that were added to the water to remove the infections might have loosened the inside layer of lead in the pipes.
Yeah, the report I heard was that the chemicals to clear up the pollution last year reduced (more acidic? trying to think back to GCSE Chemistry!) the ph of the water supply which meant that it picks up more lead from the pipes. The solution appears to be add lime to the water supply now. Lovely pure water coming through the pipes in Galway!

[pete]

Yeah, the report I heard was that the chemicals to clear up the pollution last year reduced (more acidic? trying to think back to GCSE Chemistry!) the ph of the water supply which meant that it picks up more lead from the pipes. The solution appears to be add lime to the water supply now. Lovely pure water coming through the pipes in Galway!

Lovely chemical cocktail. Add a dash of X and a bit of Y & top off with some lime. Could they also use lemon? :)

http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/2450232/2/istockphoto_2450232_green_cocktail_with_slice_of_l ime_and_ice_cubes.jpg