Williamstown hopeful of solutions to water contamination

A SHORT term solution to Williamstown’s polluted water supply could be in place in six months but arduous efforts will be made to push forward the date of a two-year wait for the long term resolution.
Residents in the area have been buying drinking water since last October when the dangerous bug cryptosporidium was detected in the supply. A boil water notice has been in place ever since.
A meeting was held between representatives of Irish Water and Williamstown Community Committee last Friday where possible solutions to the problem were discussed.
The meeting was chaired by Declan Geraghty, head of the committee, and was also attended by representatives from Galway County Council along with some local TDs and councillors.
Sean Corrigan, Irish Water Regional Information Officer, said Irish Water is working to fast-track a solution to the difficult situation.
“Irish Water is developing three possible solutions, one short-term, one medium-term and one long-term, in parallel, with varying timelines. The short-term solution involves a UV treatment with a timeline of approximately three to four and a half months to completion. The second is a temporary treatment plant, which would take approximately 12 months to get up and running, once planning and validation are taken into account,” said Sean Corrigan.
Again the long-term solution was outlined which involves extending the Lough Mask pipeline from Ballyhaunis