Fears have been expressed by residents of a Gaeltacht village that the region could experience a water contamination similar to the one which has left over 90,000 people in Galway without a supply.
Residents of Clonbur, Co Mayo, on the Galway-Mayo border are worried that raw sewage from their 50-year-old sewerage treatment plant may be leaking into a river that runs into Lough Mask.
They believe this could lead to a contamination of Mask itself, which is the main source of drinking water for thousands of households throughout south, west and east Mayo.
The people of Clonbur want a new treatment plant constructed. "The money is there from a grand announcement by Minister Éamon Ó'Cuív's department, and we are calling on Galway County Council to move this matter forward as a matter of urgency," said Tomas Burke, a local businessman in Clonbur.
John O'Mahony, a Fine Gael candidate contesting the Mayo constituency in the forthcoming general election, has visited the location and reported that he could see "raw sewage in the Rosshill river, just 100m from Lough Mask." He added: "I don't know where it came from, but the fact is that Lough Mask is the primary source of water for a significant part of Mayo. I want . . . a plan to ensure that Lough Mask remains free from any pollution."
A Mayo council official said that the water from Lough Mask is tested on a regular basis and is of the highest standard.