Eight towns and villages in Clare have been highlighted as areas of concern when it comes to the levels of raw sewage being released into the environment.
The latest report from the Environmental Protection Agency shows sewage from the equivalent of 77,000 people in 36 towns and villages across the country is released into the environment every day without treatment.
This includes 5 areas in Clare, namely Ballyvaughan, Clarecastle, Kilkee, Kilrush and Liscannor.
There are also 21 large towns and cities, including Lahinch and Shannon, where waste water treatment did not meet EU standards, while the EPA has identified the discharge of waste water as the sole significant pressure on Kilmihil Stream.
Andy Fanning from the EPA says Irish Water needs to get on top of the issue:
