Irish Water yesterday briefed local councillors on plans to run a pilot orthophosphate treatment programme at Limerick City Water Treatment Plant with the aim of reducing lead levels in drinking water.
The proposed pilot programme will involve Irish Water, in partnership with Limerick City and County Council, adding an Orthophosphate Treatment at Limerick City Water Treatment Plant. The pilot programme has the approval of the Health Service Authority (HSE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Orthophosphate is a food grade product, normally used in the food and beverage industry, and is safe for human consumption. The average person takes in between 1,000 and 2,000 milligrammes of Phosphorus daily, and the amount which would relate to water treated with orthophosphate would be 3 milligrammes.
Orthophosphate treatment has been carried out successfully in the UK, USA, Canada and mainland Europe since the late 1990’s. All water treatment plants in Northern Ireland, for example, have had continuous orthophosphate treatment for over 10 years and the lead compliance rate is very high.
Commenting on the proposed pilot, Jerry Grant, Head of Asset Management with Irish Water, said:
“Orthophosphate treatment addresses the public health objective in reducing the level of lead dissolved into water passing through lead pipework. By doing so it’s possible to reduce lead consumptions levels in a safe way and I would like to reassure people in Limerick that what we are proposing to do is safe. This is not a new method of reducing lead levels, it is in fact already being done in many countries for many years.”
“One other key element of this pilot programme is to study the environmental effect of its introduction in Ireland.”
Phosphorous is an important nutrient in supporting plant growth and when present in excess in slow moving fresh water, it can promote algae growth and so before orthophosphate treatment is commenced in any particular location, an environmental risk assessment will be carried out.
Jerry Grant continued:
“Our expectation, based on the experience in other countries, is that orthophosphate treatment will continue as a mitigation measure for as long as lead pipes remain in properties. Limerick was chosen as the pilot project because of the high level of properties with lead service pipes and also because the waste water is not discharged into an inland fresh water river or waterway.”
Craig Nienaber, Business Development Manager for Safe Access Solutions (SAS) at HUBER Technology, explores why the company is seeing a growing level of interest in its safe access solutions for critical infrastructure providers, including their application in wastewater treatment assets.
Albion Water, the first NAV (New Appointment & Variation) to have been established in1999 and now under the ownership of SDS Water Group, has appointed Andy Holland as its new Director of Business Development.
UK water companies are invited to join an upcoming webinar which will explore how the sector can take indirect potable reuse (IPR) from concept to full-scale operational reality.
James Sumsion, CEO of predictive water intelligence specialists Kohtari, says the water sector needs to take a giant leap forward, so that it can anticipate and act upon water quality issues - rather than merely react.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.