Irish Water denies shower infection claims

Irish Water denies that the contaminated public water supply in Connemara is responsible for causing a near-fatal infection in one of its customers, a dialysis patient.

The public utility, which reaffirmed that it does not comment on individual cases, last week issued a statement suggesting Joe Wall from Carraroe was infected by something other than the public water supply connected to his shower.

Mr Wall, who featured in last week’s Connacht Tribune, however, has been told by health professionals that the most likely cause of him contracting peritonitis is the quality of water in An Cheathrú Rua, where a boil water notice is in place due to cryptosporidium.

Mr Wall, a 58-year-old peritoneal dialysis patient who receives treatment through his stomach by a Tenckhoff catheter, was admitted to hospital last Tuesday after complications from an E. Coli infection.

Mr Wall, as well as the consultants and nurses treating him, linked his infection to the contaminated water in An Cheathrú Rua’s public supply.

Similar problems were experienced by dialysis patients when the city’s water was contaminated with cryptosporidium some years ago, Mr Wall was told by hospital staff.

Speaking from his hospital bed on Tuesday, a week later, he said he had to have surgery to remove the tube from his abdomen, as it too may have been infected.

“Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. The complications with dialysis mean that they kept me in (hospital) for the past week,” he said.

Mr Wall had hoped he could continue to get dialysis treatment at his home in Bothar Buí but this has been ruled out. “The nurse told me ‘not while the water situation in Carraroe is the way it is with cryptosporidium’. It means I’ll have to go to Galway for the haemodialysis,” said Mr Wall.

Mr Wall went public on his ordeal to warn other vulnerable people in areas of Galway where boil water notices are in place. Some 4,700 people in Carraroe are impacted by the boil water notice issued last month. Boil water notices remain in place in Williamstown, Leitir Mór and Loughrea.

Ervia, the parent company of Irish Water, in statement said: “While Irish Water cannot comment on specific cases we can confirm that in line with our commitments to our customers all vulnerable water users in the area were notified within an hour of Irish Water being notified that a boil water notice was being issued in South Connemara.”

Ervia added: “More importantly, we would also like to point out that there was never an issue with E. Coli in drinking water supplied in this area. All water supplied to customers in South Connemara has been chlorinated for the last 30 years – that is, zero E. Coli at our supply point.

“In addition, we have not turned the UV off at the water treatment plant which means that we are providing a dual barrier for E. Coli. If the E. Coli which caused the infection came from the water in this customer’s shower it did not originate in the public supply. Potential sources of this kind of contamination are re-contamination of the water supply within the owner’s property or other hygiene risks within the home.”

Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has confirmed to Sinn Féin Senator Trevor O Clochartaigh that it has issued a summons to Irish Water alleging Irish Water has failed to implement an action programme agreed by the EPA last September, to improve the quality of water at An Cheathrú Rua.

The court case is listed for hearing in Dublin on May 23.

“As you will appreciate the EPA can make no further comment on this matter until such time as the court case has concluded,” the EPA told Senator Ó Clochartaigh.

Elsewhere, the boil water notice imposed on Ahascragh public water supply on April 1, 2016 has been lifted. Customers affected can now resume normal use of the water supply, it said.

Some 853 people were impacted by the notice which included group schemes in Lowville No.2, Castlegar West, Castlegar Lissyegan, Cornamucklagh, and Ballyglass. The precaution was lifted after advice from the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Irish Water and Galway County Council in a statement issued by Ervia, said they “acknowledge the patience, cooperation and assistance of the general public during the period of the boil water notice and greatly regrets any inconvenience caused to householders, the farming and the business community.”