asked the Minister for the Environment if he will make a statement on the level of nitrates contained in ground water on a county by county basis.
51.
Written Answers. - Nitrates in Water.
50.
asked the Minister for the Environment if his attention has been drawn to the problem regarding nitrates in water; to the fact that there is a high proportion of farm household wells which are polluted by nitrates in excess of the EC limit; and if he will make a statement on the measures he might consider necessary to rectify this situation.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 50 and 51 together.
I am satisfied from the information available to me that groundwater in Ireland is generally of a high quality and that we do not have any extensive problems arising from high nitrates levels. Approximately 25 per cent of drinking water supplies are obtained from groundwater sources. The report, "Water Quality in Ireland", published by An Foras Forbartha in 1987, noted that, while fertiliser usage may have raised the background level of nitrates in groundwaters, there is no significant contamination of the aquifers. The Geological Survey of Ireland has found, from a survey of the major springs in Ireland in 1985-86, that nitrates levels were normally low, with 85 per cent less than 5.0 mg/l as N and only 1 per cent in excess of the statutory quality standard for drinking water (11.3 mg/l as N). While there are small polluted pockets beneath septic tanks and waste storage areas on farms, which could be eliminated by greater awareness of the importance of groundwater and greater care in the location of wells and waste storage/disposal units, I am not aware of any basis for the assumption that "a high proportion" of farm household wells are polluted by nitrates.