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| Press Release: Environment 15 December 2005 Links to: All Press Releases 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 Dún Laoghaire, Environment and Justice Press Releases
Green Party calls for the Water Services Bill to be debated urgently The Green Party said that Environmental Protection Agency's report 'The Quality of Drinking Water in Ireland - a Report for the Year 2004' published yesterday highlights the need to increase the monitoring and protection of Ireland's drinking water supply. The EPA report noted a significant presence of the Cryptosporidium parasite. Furthermore, the number of cases this year appears to be rising substantially. Ciarán Cuffe Green Party Environment spokesperson stated that, "the persistence of E.coli and now the detection of a significant presence of the Cryptosporidium parasite call for the urgent introduction of a more stringent regulation of our drinking water standards. "It appears from yesterday's report that drinking water supplies in rural areas are still threatened from agricultural waste. More resources are needed to protect water sources in these areas. "The Drinking Water Regulations (2000) brought smaller group water schemes into the monitoring process. However, the water services licensing scheme as envisaged under the Water Services Bill 2003 would require all group water schemes to meet water quality, environmental, conservation, monitoring and information provision standards in order to qualify for a licence. "The Government has dragged its feet on enacting the Water Services Bill. I am calling on the Government to bring the Water Services Bill back before the Dáil as soon as possible." |