Concern at cost of testing water samples at some rural Westmeath schools

The January meeting of Athlone Moate Municipal District heard that some rural national schools in Westmeath are being forced to pay out “between €500 and €1,000” to have audit samples of water tested to ensure they comply with current water safety standards.

Cllr Tom Farrell of Fine Gael told the meeting that a number of rural schools across the county are not connected to a public water supply, which means they have to “shell out exorbitant sums of money” to have their water tested on a regular basis, and he appealed for the Department of Education to adequately fund the schools who have failed to meet drinking water standards.

“This issue only applies to schools that have their own wells and are not connected to a public water supply,” pointed out Cllr Farrell, who tabled a motion calling for the municipal district to ask the Dept of Education to fund the affected schools.

Cllr Farrell received unanimous support for his motion from his council colleagues, who agreed that a letter be sent to the department outlining the concerns he expressed and seeking funding for the schools affected by a failure to meet the required drinking water standards.