Exceedances of the pesticide MCPA has been detected in public drinking supplies in two different areas of Monaghan.
The farming community and groundskeepers are being urged to be responsible when spraying pesticides.
MCPA is a commonly used herbicide that is present in many products used to control thistles, docks, and rushes.
Following the routine sampling of drinking water supplies, exceedances of the pesticide MCPA were recorded in the Emyvale and Glaslough public water schemes.
Both of these are supplied from the Glaslough Tyholland Group Water Scheme.
While the HSE has advised that the levels seen do not present a threat to public health, Dr Pat O'Sullivan, Irish Water's Drinking Water Compliance Specialist, said it is undesirable and users of pesticides need to be mindful of best practice when spraying their lands.
These are the first exceedances recorded in 2020 for the schemes, while there were three recorded exceedances in 2019.
