One Quarter Of Ireland's Rural Wells Polluted By Sewage

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DUBLIN, Ireland — More than one-quarter of drinking water provided by rural water systems in Ireland has been contaminated by untreated sewage, the Environmental Protection Agency reported Thursday.

The EPA field research found traces of human or animal feces in 25.9 percent of wells in "group water schemes." These provide tap water for 145,000 households, or 8 percent of the population living in Ireland's most rural locales.

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Overall, the EPA found that 95.9 percent of all drinking water in Ireland met European Union safety standards.

But it also found that 38 percent of rivers and 36 percent of lakes suffered levels of pollution that exceed E.U. environmental limits. The main source of pollution is animal waste and animal-waste-based fertilizers being used on farms adjacent to lakes and rivers. But the EPA also said one-quarter of sewerage across Ireland was still being pumped untreated into rivers, lakes, or the ocean."

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http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-06/s_12851.asp