Ferns Boil Water Notice raised in the Seanad

The issue of the Boil Water Notice which has been in place in the village of Ferns for almost two weeks, has been raised in the Seanad today.

Senator Malcolm Byrne raised the issue, which has seen the residents of Ferns having to boil or buy their water for cooking, drinking, and brushing their teeth. It follows the detection of cryptosporidium in the water supply there. Speaking in the Seanad this afternoon, Senator Byrne also asked why water tankers have not been brought to Ferns, saying: "It's reckoned that there are 1,723 people who are impacted by this, and the residents of Ferns are now on their 14th day of a Boil Water Notice. The residents are being forced to buy water for washing, for cleaning, for laundry, and for drinking purposes. No tankers have been provided." Responding to Senator Byrne was TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, who said that she hasn't had an update on the situation, saying: "You said that no tanker has been brought in. Well Senator, can I say to you that I have no better answer for you this morning? And I'm very sorry to say that, because what I have restates essentially what you have, which simply says that there has been a boil water notice since the 28th of June, and that I'm to recognise the inconvenience of the Boil Water Notice."