Tap water is ârank and mouldyâ, say residents
Residents in parts of Mid-Ulster say their tap water has a ârankâ and âmouldyâ taste.
âItâs just not pleasant, and if the waterâs warm, itâs worse, so if youâre showering, you can smell like a mould smell as you shower, which is disgusting,â said Chris Ennion, from Maghera.
âWeâve stopped giving our little boy the water from the tap now and started giving him bottled water.â
NI Water said the smell and taste were produced by naturally occurring compounds related to algae in Lough Neagh were not harmful to health.
Smell and taste ârelated to algaeâ
NI Water has not confirmed to BBC News NI how many customers and what areas are affected.
Residents in Magherafelt, Castledawson, Draperstown, Ballinderry and Cookstown have all noticed the âmouldyâ taste.
Mr Ennion has accused the company of having a âterrible attitudeâ in their response.
âI donât think because theyâre saying itâs safe they shouldnât do anything about it. I donât think leaving our water source in that sort of state is acceptable,â he said.
âIâd like to know if the people that are making those decisions are drinking the water themselves.â
In their statement, NI Water said: âThis smell and taste is related to algae levels in Lough Neagh and naturally occurring compounds found in beetroot and soil.â
In response, Mr Ennion said: âI donât want a glass of beetroot.â
âRubbishâ
Mr Ennion said he has been buying more bottled water, âwhich is terrible for the environment,â he pointed out.
The Maghera resident, who is originally from Liverpool, said the water gets worse when itâs sunny.
âIt doesnât seem to be a constant thing, like itâs noticeable, but it seems to be after weâve had really good weather,â he said.
Although Mr Ennion has stopped giving the tap water to his son, he is still drinking it because NI Water says itâs safe.
âIâve still been drinking it. For the last week, Iâd say, Iâve felt pretty rubbish, so I donât know if thatâs related or not,â he said.
Mr Ennion said: âYou can taste it⊠even if itâs been boiled in the kettleâ.
âItâs not pleasant. Itâs not good.â
Residents living in the Magherafelt, Castledawson, Draperstown and Cookstown areas have commented on the water on community pages on Facebook.
One described it as tasting ârankâ and another said itâs ârottenâ.
âWater supplies are safeâ
NI Water said they would like to âreassureâ customers that their priority is the quality and safety of the drinking water they provide.
âWe are aware that a small number of customers have been reporting a taste and smell in their drinking water supply,â a spokesperson said.
âNI Water is confident there is no water quality issue in relation to the drinking water produced by the Water Treatment Works that abstract water from Lough Neagh.â
NI Water monitors its raw water intakes from Lough Neagh and the final treated water produced at its treatment works on a daily basis to ensure that drinking water supplied to customers meets strict drinking water quality standards.
NI Water also completes risk assessments of all its drinking water sources to ensure drinking water supplies are safe.â
In a statement, the NI Environment Agency said its Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) was investigating.
âThe water treatment works that abstract water from Lough Neagh are designed for the removal of algae that may be present in the raw water,â it said.
âThe drinking water regulations set standards for a range of microbiological and chemical parameters.
âNI Water monitor these parameters at water treatment works, service reservoirs and consumer taps to ensure compliance with the regulations.
âDWI, as the drinking water regulator, investigates any breaches of these regulatory standards and, where necessary, can take enforcement action.â
Blue-green algae in Northern Ireland
Blue-green algae, technically known as cyanobacteria, is a collection of microscopic organisms that are naturally present in lakes and streams.
Under certain conditions, blue-green algae can become abundant in warm, shallow, undisturbed, nutrient-rich surface waters that receive a lot of sunlight.
When this occurs, the algae can form blooms that discolour the water or produce floating mats or scums on the waterâs surface.