Over €3m water supply in this Kildare area will eliminate arsenic risk

Just over €3m is being spent upgrading the public water infrastructure in Kilteel, Naas.

In February 2022, fears were expressed that a contaminated public water supply would cause  residents to become seriously ill.

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The supply serving a group of residents in Kilteel had been shown to contain dangerous levels of arsenic and people have been told not to consume it - though it is safe for washing and toilet flushing. It could not be made safe by boiling.

All of those affected are part of a group water scheme, which provides water from a privately owned supply, which had been in use for almost 60 years.

The upgrade will see 66 homes connected to the public water supply, the installation of a new 7.4 kms water mains to replace the existing structure and the installation of an interconnecting water mains to connect the new network to the existing supply.

All properties in the Kilteel area which will be passed by the new water main network – amounting to approximately 215 properties in total - will be included, which is 149 more than originally mooted.

According to Kildare County Council, the expanded scheme will provide the Kilteel group water scheme members with a reliable and safe public water supply and will also provide a new public water supply for the wider Kilteel area where many residents are relying on private wells, which are unregulated.