Number of Boil Water Notices and Water Restriction Notices Increased by Around 20% Last Year - 01/07/2026

The number of boil water notices and water restriction notices issued across Ireland increased significantly last year, according to a new report from the Environmental Protection Agency. In total, 100 public water supplies, affecting almost 200,000 people, were impacted in 2025—an increase of almost 20 per cent on the previous year.Despite the rise in notices, the EPA says the overall quality of Ireland's public drinking water remains very high, with 99.8 per cent of samples meeting the required safety standards. However, the findings raise questions about the resilience of the country's water infrastructure and the challenges facing public water supplies.EPA Inspector Ruth Barrington joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.