Thousands affected by new boil water notice

Almost 10,000 Cork customers of Irish Water are affected by a new boil water notice issued on Saturday.

Cork customers of Irish Water who are supplied by the Whitegate Public Water Supply are being asked to boil their water, following consultation with the HSE.

The areas affected include Aghada, Churchtown, Ballycotton, Saleen, Shanagarry, Ballinacura and areas of Cloyne.

The boil water notice was issued Saturday, October, 29, and is being issued as a precautionary measure to protect the health of approximately 9,500 customers due to increased turbidity in the raw water source as a result of recent heavy rainfall.

This may have compromised the disinfection process at the water treatment plant which makes the water safe to drink.

Drinking water experts from Irish Water and Cork County Council are working to rectify the turbidity issues at the treatment plant and lift the notice as quickly and as safely as possible, in consultation with the HSE.

Irish Water is also progressing a permanent solution to address the issues in the long term. This involves a major upgrade of the water treatment plant that will ensure a safe, reliable drinking water supply to customers on the Whitegate Regional Public Water Supply.

In the meantime, all customers on this supply are advised to boil water before use until further notice.

Irish Water’s, Pat Britton, regrets the inconvenience to impacted customers: “Public health is Irish Water’s number one priority and we would like to assure customers that the notice has been put in place to protect public health. There have been previous water quality issues on this supply and we acknowledge the inconvenience caused to homes and businesses and would like to assure customers that we are working to resolve the issue and lift the notice as quickly and as safely as possible.” In line with HSE COVID-19 advice and the requirement for frequent hand washing, Irish Water advises that the water remains suitable for this purpose and boiling the water is not required for handwashing.

Irish Water’s drinking water standards, as per EU Drinking Water regulations, are strict and include wide safety margins. Where risks to water quality are identified through Irish Water’s enhanced testing and monitoring programme, the Health Service Executive (HSE) are consulted and Boil Water Notices are issued to protect public health. In all instances, immediate action is taken to address the cause of the issue to enable the lifting of the notice as quickly as it is safe to do so, in agreement with the HSE.

Vulnerable customers who have registered with Irish Water receive direct communication on Boil Water Notices. Customers are reminded that the water is safe to consume once boiled.

Customers can check if their property is included by visiting the Water Quality section of www.water.ie and entering the property’s Eircode or by calling the Irish Water customer care helpline, open 24/7, on 1800 278 278. A map of the area is attached and available to view on the supply and service section of water.ie.

Updates are available on the Irish Water Water Supply Updates section on water.ie, on Twitter @IWCare and via their customer care helpline, open 24/7 on 1800 278 278.