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National News: Irish Independent News paper

Solution to water crisis was 'ignored by council'

By Patricia McDonagh

Tuesday April 17 2007

GALWAY city council was embroiled in controversy last night over claims it was notified of a safe and inexpensive water filtration system seven months before the contamination crisis began.

A proposal jointly submitted to Galway City Council by water treatment plants ENVA Ireland Ltd and AquaSol Engineering Ltd on September 28, 2006, suggested a system that would have provided high-quality water to thousands.

The proposal, which would have cost an estimated €1m, a figure well within the €21m budget allocated by the Department of the Environment, proposed that the filtration plant be replaced and updated with a patented Aqua Sol VVF filter.

The mechanism, which involved a two-stage procedure of contaminated water passing first through a filter to present a physical barrier to the parasite cryptosporidium and then passing through an ultraviolet light as clean water, completely inactivates the bug.

The plan would have seen the existing plant replaced. The solution was proposed to Galway City council after a detailed report written by AquaSol illustrated the extent of the filtration problem at the 25-year-old Terryland plant.
The damming report, authored by engineer Ashley Tolley, issued a warning in a bid to induce the council into action.

The author said in the report: "This is a serious matter and a widespread danger to public health, should an outbreak (of cryptosporidium) occur".

According to Tolley, the water works were so substandard that he was left "surprised" and deeply concerned for the residents.

"I visited the site in July 2006 and had a good look at it. Certain elements, particularly the physical filtration, were severely compromised. I was extremely concerned about the necessary equipment which provided no physical barrier to cryptosporidium."

Galway city council issued a defiant statement on the issue last night, stating that the quality of water in the network fully complied with UK guidelines at the time the report was issued and that its legal obligation to the public procurement process hampered the issue from being dealt with.

- Patricia McDonagh>