One of Carlow Town’s main water supplies has had to be shut down as a result of an oil spill into the River Burren that’s still ongoing.
The contamination was first brought to the attention of Irish Water and the County Council last week but they still have not been able to find the source of the oil in the Busherstown/Bennekerry area.
Thursday last was when the people in Carlow first got in touch with the county council about oil in their water supply.
The council have confirmed to KCLR News this lunchtime that they and Irish Water immediately shut down the Sion Cross Water Treatment Plant which supplies water to Carlow Town.
The supply to the town is now coming from Rathvilly and Oak Park.
The Council says that, while they’ve located the drain it’s coming from, it’s going through a network of farm drainage in the area and they’ve been unable to find the actual source – meaning the spill is ongoing.
They have, however, said that they think they’ve managed to contain it for the time being with preventive measures in place.
A “high level meeting” was also held yesterday with the HSE to alert them to the problem, but they say they don’t think there’s any danger to anyone’s health.
Samples of the water have been sent off for testing but the results are not due back for another few days.
The Environmental Protection Agency has also been informed.
