Cllr. Malcolm Byrne at Creagh Demesne, Gorey. Pic: Christy Farrell

A detailed examination of the water pipes at Creagh Demesne housing estate in Gorey conducted by Wexford County Council and Irish Water has found that they are not kerosene-resistant and that this explains the problems with water quality in recent years in the area.

Cllr. Malcolm Byrne has been pursuing this issue for several years and he said : “It was unacceptable that residents at Creagh Demesne didn’t have drinkable water and finally, the causes have been confirmed.”

It is planned that any existing problem pipes will be decommissioned and Wexford County Council and Irish Water will continue to monitor the situation.

A series of water samplings were carried out by the Council on behalf of Irish Water to help assess the situation and inform the next steps required.

The information available indicates that oil fill lines within the individual property boundaries are not constructed of suitable kerosene-resistant material and also suggests that the water service pipes running between the water-main in the road and the kitchen tap at each property were not constructed from kerosene-resistant material.

As a result, if there is kerosene-contaminated soil near a water service pipe, and there is a risk of contamination of the water supply to the household due to seepage of kerosene from the contaminated soil into the water supply pipe.

Results from the water quality sampling carried out in September and November 2015 suggest that this may have occurred in a number of areas in the housing estate.

Full story this week in THE GOREY ECHO.