Programme of flushing works underway in Cork city
The works form part of the company’s action plan to address intermittent discolouration issues impacting a small number of customers.
Uisce Éireann said that in general, issues such as discolouration, bursts and leakage are "unfortunately commonplace when dealing with an aged network such as Cork City’s."
A spokesperson added: "This is a national issue and there is no easy solution. There are approximately 600km of watermains in Cork City, 60% to 70% of which are made from cast iron and approximately 100 years old, dating back to the 1920s.
"Due to the age and deteriorating condition of the pipes, they are prone to bursts and leakage. In old cast iron mains, sediment can become dislodged during repair or upgrade works and can occasionally be carried through to customers’ taps, leading to the water to appear brown or orange."
The spokesperson said that in the short term, Uisce Éireann continues with works to proactively flush the network in targeted areas across Cork City where reports of discolouration have been received.
"Areas are prioritised based on customer feedback and reports received by our customer care team. To date, six phases of planned network flushing have been undertaken to reduce instances of discolouration impacting customers’ water supply. This involves isolating small sections of the network and flushing them of any dislodged sediment," the spokesperson added.
In recent weeks, based on reports of discolouration, Uisce Éireann said flushing has been carried out in the following areas: Cathedral Road, Baker Road, Churchfield Avenue, Blarney Street, Strawberry Hill, Mount Saint Joseph’s Drive, Sundays Well Avenue, Gurranabraher, Saint Anthonys Road and Boyce Street.
The Cork City Water Quality Working Group, with expert representatives and engineers from Uisce Éireann and Cork City Council, continue to meet regularly and monitor the situation, the company spokesperson added.
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