EPA warns of risks from private drinking water supplies in rural communities

The Environmental Protection Agency is warning that drinking water quality in private water supplies continues to fall short of the standards achieved by public supplies operated by Uisce Éireann.

The warning is relevant to rural communities across County Wexford, where private and community water supplies are an important part of life.

The EPA says there are 376 private group water schemes nationwide, supplying drinking water to around 194,000 people, while more than 1,600 small private supplies are registered with local authorities. These can supply businesses and public facilities including schools, nursing homes, hotels, campsites and sports clubs.

However, the EPA says the true number of small private supplies is unknown because there is currently no legal requirement to register them.

It warns that unregistered supplies are not sampled by local authorities and could potentially be providing unsafe drinking water without consumers knowing.

In 2025, 14 private group water schemes, supplying almost 1,900 people, failed to meet the standard for E. coli. That's an improvement on 2024, when 24 schemes failed, but six of those schemes had repeat E. coli failures in both years.

There were also 67 failures among registered small private supplies, giving an E. coli compliance rate of 95.5%.

The EPA is calling for urgent changes to the law, including making registration compulsory for all small private water supplies.

It is also urging suppliers to ensure their water is properly monitored and that any problems are addressed quickly.

The EPA says anyone visiting a local business or using a community facility should be able to have confidence that the drinking water being provided is safe.

Important for householders: the EPA report does not cover ordinary private household wells, which are exempt from the drinking water regulations.