Drinking Water Quality in Public Supplies 2023

The periods when the application of fertilisers to land is prohibited are specified in Schedule 4 of the European Union (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2014 as follows:

1. In counties Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow, the period during which the application of fertilisers to land is prohibited is the period from—

(a)  15 September to 12 January in the case of the application of chemical fertiliser

(b)  15 October to 12 January in the case of the application of organic fertiliser (other than farmyard manure)

(c)   1 November to 12 January in the case of the application of farmyard manure.

2.  In counties Clare, Galway, Kerry, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath, the period during which the application of fertilisers to land is prohibited is the period from—

(a)  15 September to 15 January in the case of the application of chemical fertiliser

(b)  15 October to 15 January in the case of the application of organic fertiliser (other than farmyard manure)

(c)  1 November to 15 January in the case of the application of farmyard manure.

3. In counties Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim and Monaghan, the period during which the application of fertilisers to land is prohibited is the period from—

(a)  15 September to 31 January in the case of the application of chemical fertiliser

(b)  15 October to 31 January in the case of the application of organic fertiliser (other than farmyard manure)

(c)  1 November to 31 January in the case of the application of farmyard manure.

No.  Chemicals should be stored in a safe place away from any wellhead or the contributory zone (catchment) from the water supply so that accidental spillage will not result in the chemicals getting into your well and causing contamination.

The first step is to talk to your neighbour about the suspected cause of contamination. It may be that your neighbour is unaware of the location of your well or the consequences of their actions. If this fails you should make your complaint in writing to the relevant local authority or use the EPA “See It, Say It” app to report the incident.

You should check your well to see if there are any obvious signs of contamination such as recent landspreading or cattle too close to your well. Protecting the catchment area of your well is one of the best ways to protect the quality of your water. You should also check to see is there any ingress of water into the borehole.

If your well is contaminated with E. coli or Coliform Bacteria you should boil the drinking water from the well until you are sure it is safe to drink and cook with.

You should sterilise your well (see How do I disinfect my well question) and see if this resolves the contamination (after retesting). If this is not successful in restoring the quality of your water you may need to consider improving the protection of your well and/or installing an appropriate treatment system. Once-off disinfection cannot replace a treatment system if your supply is always or often contaminated.

If your well is contaminated with a chemical parameter you should contact your local authority for advice in the first instance.

You may also consider connecting to a public or group water scheme.

While a shallow well is likely to be vulnerable to contamination, a deep well is not necessarily protected against contamination. Contamination can travel over the top of the well casing (e.g. if the wellhead is below ground), down the sides of the casing (if not properly sealed) or can travel through the soil into the well. Contamination of groundwater through abandoned boreholes nearby is another potential risk. Unless the well is properly constructed, sealed and cased then it may be vulnerable to contamination from contaminated water from the surface.