Sion MIlls family claim tap water caused illness

A SION MILLS woman has described the ‘torrid time’ she experienced over Christmas due to issues with her water supply, which she believes, made her family sick.

Mum-of-two Terri McFadden admitted she doesn’t know if she’ll be able to drink tap water again and has taken to filtering all of her family’s supply. She said she first noticed the difference in the water during the period o f hard frost before Christmas.

“I like to fill bottles with water and have them beside my bed so I can have a drink if I’m thirsty at night,” Ms McFadden explained. “One night during the hard frost, I took up a bottle and, as soon as I put a sip in my mouth, I spat it out again – the water tasted and smelt like bleach. It was disgusting!

“I came downstairs to check the taps and, sure enough, the water coming out of them was revolting.”

It has been reported that residents across the locality have noticed a strong smell of chlorine from their tap water with many resorting to purchasing bottled water.

Ms McFadden continued, “Quickly, we all began to fall ill. I got on the phone to NI Water who gave me advice to let the tap run a bit so all the chlorine could evaporate. They also said to put the water in a jug and then put a towel over it in another attempt to evaporate the chlorine. That worked a wee bit but the smell and taste is still very present in the water to this day.

“I had all my family around on Christmas Day for dinner and everyone fell ill. I was so bad I couldn’t even eat my dinner. The kids and I were struck down with a severe stomach and vomiting bug, making Christmas pretty miserable; we’re only coming around now…

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that a lot of people have been sick during this period. For me, the water has to be the problem and it hasn’t gotten better. The question is; when is NI Water going to fix it?”

Sinn Fein MLA Maoliosa McHugh and Strabane councillor Michaela Boyle called the development a ‘public health concern’.

Cllr Boyle remarked, “I have been in contact with NI Water on behalf of residents. Some have stated they have had to buy water filters and while others have relied on bottled water as a precaution and others are concerned that there is a link between the chlorine smelling drinking water and people in their household being very ill over the holiday period.

“Given these public health concerns, I have also contacted the Environmental Health in Derry City and Strabane District Council to investigate the issue.”

When contacted this week, a spokesperson for NI Water commented, “A small residue of chlorine is generally present in the treated drinking water when it reaches our customer taps. This is to ensure that the quality of the drinking water is maintained through our water mains network.

“NI Water is aware that during the late December 2022 freeze/thaw period some customers in the Strabane, Ballymagorry and Artigarvan areas experienced higher than normal taste and smell of chlorine in their water supply. Due to the cold weather conditions as well as a greater volume of water there were higher levels of chlorine in the distribution system. However, at all times the chlorine levels measured in the distribution system remained within permitted limits.

“NI Water has a robust testing and sampling system which sees over 120,000 samples lifted and analysed each year as required by the Drinking Water Regulations. Any customers with concerns should contact Waterline on 0345 744 0088.”