Aughrim Residents Told Not To Drink Water.

Wicklow County Council has issued a notice telling residents in Aughrim not to drink tap water, after a chemical spill

Wicklow County Council has issued a notice telling residents in Aughrim not to drink tap water, after a chemical spill was identified as the source of a serious ecological event that killed up to 2,000 fish.

Last week, Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) announced that it was investigating an incident that occurred on the Aughrim River, where fish mortalities were observed in a 3km stretch of the watercourse in an area near Coats Bridge, with species of fish discovered dead including juvenile and adult Atlantic salmon, trout, and lamprey.

In the aftermath of the shocking discovery, IFI stated it was “not aware of the specific source of this harmful ecological event”, confirming that water samples had been taken from the river to gather evidence.

With concerns over impacts on public health running rife in the Aughrim community, Wicklow County Council recently issued an update for local representatives to disseminate, detailing how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had identified the source, and that the resulting risk of contamination demanded a precautionary water notice for nearby residents.

“Wicklow County Council has been informed that a chemical spill occurred in the vicinity of Aughrim village near the Aughrim River,” the statement read.“As a result, there is a risk that the water supply in the vicinity may be vulnerable to contamination due to its close proximity to the Aughrim River.