Worrying levels of pesticides detected in River Nore drinking water

By COLIN BARTLEY

Higher than permitted levels of pesticides have been recorded in Kilkenny’s River Nore.

Irish Water, working in conjunction with the National Pesticides and Drinking Water Action Group (NPDWAG), is appealing to the farming community, sporting organisations and domestic users to monitor what materials are getting into the county’s river, in an effort to protect the supply of drinking water.

The Nore is one of seven river catchments in Ireland causing particular concern. Testing of the river revealed excessive levels of pesticides in the water.

Irish Water and the NPDWAG will be showing a 30-second video on mart days in Kilkenny for the coming months, reminding farmers to use best practice when applying pesticides to their lands.

Careless storage, handling or improper application of any pesticide product can easily result in traces ending up in drinking water, leading to breaches of the drinking water regulations.