NI Water assures people in Derry that the city's drinking water is safe
Concerns raised over level of chlorine in the local supply
It follows a number of complaints throughout the past week by people reporting that their water 'stinks' due to high levels of chlorine.
One man who contacted the Derry News said he was buying bottled water.
Rory McLaughlin also said his elderly mother, who lives in the Foyle Springs area, had taken ill as a result of drinking the water.
He said: “It has been noticeable for about a week. It is really bad, whenever in the shower there is a real stink of chlorine. My mother was ill and couldn't get out of bed.
“I went to NI Water straight away and they said there was nothing to worry about. I was advised to pour the water into a jug and put in the fridge for a few minutes or boil the water and it should dissipate.
“I put the water in the fridge for over an hour and it was still stinking of chlorine.
“I boiled a full kettle so I could drink it the next day. I poured it into a pint glass and you could still smell the chlorine.”
Calling for independent tests to be carried out on water supplies, Mr McLaughlin added: “Surely when there is any incident like this, there must be independent tests carried out, otherwise NI Water could be telling you the sky is green. I'm just going out to buy some water now, which probably should constitute as an 'unnecessary journey,' but I don't trust NI Water.”
Local Sinn Fein councillor Sandra Duffy said the issue first arose last Thursday.
She contacted NI Water and was told they water supplier was aware of the problem and it would be resolved within 24 hours.
Speaking to the Derry News, Cllr Duffy said she had been contacted by people from across the city.
“This has been ongoing since last Thursday. Every time NI Water have been contacted they have assured us they have reduced chlorine levels and going to flush the system - but we are now sitting nearly a week later and homes across the city are still experiencing high levels of chlorine in their water.
“NI Water say the water is safe but it does not taste very safe. You can understand why people have concerns as it smells so strongly.”
A spokesperson at the office SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan said an NI Water official explained that the issue had arisen because a pumping station shut down on Wednesday of last week, February 3 which was related to continuous heavy rainfall.
During the restart process, higher levels of chlorine were flushed through the system, exacerbated by the heavy rain.
In a statement to the Derry News yesterday, NI Water said the chlorine level in the water leaving its treatment works works had remained within set limits 'at all times.'
The spokesperson said: “NI would like to reassure our customers that our number one priority is the quality and safety of the drinking water we provide.
“Water samples are analysed by a team of scientists based in laboratories in Altnagelvin and Belfast, providing NI Water with its own in-house scientific expertise and knowledge.
“We take samples at the water treatment works, at service reservoirs, and at customer taps, to monitor drinking water quality and compliance with the drinking water regulations.
“We are aware that a small number of customers have been reporting a chlorine taste and smell in their drinking water supply.
“As part of the normal drinking water treatment process, chlorine is added to ensure that the quality of the drinking water is maintained throughout our network.
“While the chlorine levels in the water are well within normal levels and are not a cause for concern, we fully appreciate, on occasions, they can make the water taste and smell different and we apologise for any inconvenience that this has caused.
“NI Water staff, over the past week, have been checking the water quality and have been flushing the system, to increase the turnover of water in the network.
“We have seen the chlorine taste and odour experienced by some customers reduce as a result of this work and expect this to continue over the coming days.
“NI Water would like to reassure our customers that water leaving the water treatment works is monitored continually to ensure that the chlorine level at the treatment works and throughout the distribution system remains within set limits,” the spokesperson added.