Irish drinking water meets "very high standards" - EPA

Publicly supplied drinking water in Ireland adheres to very high safety standards, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA's 2025 Water Quality Report reveals that 99.8% of Ireland's public water supplies meet the required bacterial and chemical standards, ensuring the water is safe for consumption by over four million people.

Despite the overall high compliance, the EPA has identified 35 water treatment plants where supplies could be disrupted due to failures in disinfection or other processes. These plants serve approximately 467,000 people, and without prompt remedial action, the guarantee of safe and secure drinking water cannot be maintained for these individuals. The EPA is calling on Uisce Éireann, the national water utility, to expedite its remedial action program to bolster the resilience of public water systems and safeguard public health.

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public drinking water quality remains high, so people can be confident that the water supplied to their homes is safe to drink.

The report highlights that while sustained progress has been made in addressing disinfection issues and upgrading facilities, with problems at ten "at-risk" supplies resolved during the year, significant challenges remain. The 35 water supplies still on the Remedial Action List require urgent attention as they are neither robust nor resilient. These include supplies for 127,000 people in Limerick city, 76,000 in Co. Kildare, 52,000 from a single supply in Co. Louth, over 25,000 in Glashaboy, Co. Cork, and more than 18,000 in Longford.

Failures in water supplies were attributed to contamination by E. coli or Enterococci bacteria in 24 instances, and by Cryptosporidium or Giardia protozoa in nine others, all of which can cause illness. Additionally, pesticide limits were exceeded in 24 supplies, and inadequate treatment or management control jeopardized the effective operation of 14 water treatment plants. Patrick Byrne, EPA Director, assured the public that drinking water quality remains high, but stressed Uisce Éireann's responsibility to allocate necessary resources for upgrades at "at-risk" supplies to ensure future safety and protect public health.

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Uisce Éireann must allocate the necessary resources to complete the required upgrades at "at-risk" supplies to ensure drinking water remains safe and public health is protected into the future.