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[Press Release: January 23, 2002] GREENS ALARMED AT RESULT OF HEALTH BOARD WATER TESTING!The Wicklow Greens responded quickly to the results of water testing carried out by the South Western Area Health Board on water drawn from private wells that supply several large residential estates at Blessington, Co Wicklow. The water drawn from one of these wells was found to contain bacteria that was four times the recommended safety threshold"This is disturbing news indeed for residents of estates such as Deerpark and Ashton in Blessington" says Green Party councillor , Deirdre de Burca. "These residents have been contacted by the council and warned that they must vigorously boil their water before attempting to drink it. Coming so shortly after the discovery of several large illegal dumps near Blessington, this is indeed a worrying development for the residents of this area". Councillor de Burca points out that the Health Board was asked to conduct an investigation into the water supplies from certain private wells in Blesington following the reports of illegal dumps in quarries nearby. "Unfortunately Wicklow County Council would not agree to having these tests carried out as a precautionary measure, but the results of the Health Board tests would indicate that they should have done so" says councilllor de Burca. Councillor de Burca has repeated her call to the Minister for the Environment to dedicate his department's resources, and the resources of the EPA towards tackling the illegal dumping in West Wicklow. "I am not impressed to date by the Minister's hands -off approach to the biggest waste scandal in this country" she says. "It is clear that Wicklow County Council is not in a position to effectively deal with this huge environmental and public health threat. I am calling on the Minister to take matters in hand now in an attempt to restore public confidence in the administration of our public services". For further information please contact Deirdre de Burca on 086 8061450 or email deburca@wicklowgreens.org. |