Householders in Derry have been told their water supply is safe to drink despite a major pollution incident in the river which supplies a lot of the water.
The pollution in the River Faughan, from which around 60% of Derry’s drinking water comes, led to several thousand fish being killed.
Officers from NI Water and the Loughs Agency are continuing their investigations into the pollution incident.
At this stage, they believe it may have been caused by silage from farm land.
However, a spokesperson for NI Water said the local water supply was safe.
“We can assure customers the water quality in the Derry/Londonderrry area is safe to drink and continues to be of the highest quality,” the spokesperson said.
“Following the recent pollution incident in the River Faughan, NI Water took immediate action to protect the water supply in the area.
“This included, as a precaution, shutting down the Carmoney Water Treatment Works (WTW) at Eglinton.
“NI Water staff have been rezoning the area which involves taking water from different treatment works to continue to provide an uninterrupted supply of safe, clean drinking water.”
The NI Water spokesperson said the water in the River Faughan would continue to be monitored.
“The works will remain closed until NI Water is satisfied the water quality in the River has returned to normal.
“NI Water will continue to liaise with Northern Ireland Environment Agency in relation to their water quality monitoring in the River Faughan, as they are the body responsible for monitoring the condition of the River.
“This enables NI Water to effectively manage drinking water abstraction from the river.”
Photo shows Lucan Newland, one of the first people to come across he fish kill.
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