Hundreds in Cork city reliant on tankers following major burst to water main

Hundreds of homes on Cork’s northside have been without water since the weekend and will have to depend on water from bulk tankers until at least lunchtime tomorrow.

Following what Uisce Éireann has described as “a major burst to a water main”, homes and businesses in Mayfield have been without water since Sunday.

The outage is affecting homes and businesses in Corrib Lawn, Ballinderry Park, Shannon Lawn, Lagan Grove, Liffey Park, Glencree Crescent, Gweedore Avenue, Boyne Crescent, and in surrounding areas.

Despite initial advice that supply would be restored yesterday, Uisce Éireann has since advised that “repairs have proven more complex than initially anticipated”, adding that households in the affected areas will remain without water for a further 24 hours, “with works now expected to be completed by 1pm on Tuesday”.

Alternative supplies 

The water utility company, formerly known as Irish Water, said alternative water supplies will remain available from bulk tankers located at Dunnes Stores car park in Ballyvolane.

It advised people to bring their own containers and to boil water before consumption as a precautionary measure.

The company said it makes “every effort to ensure that the alternative drinking water supply provided, including the tanker/bowser, and dispensing tap, are adequately disinfected.

“However, as it is not practical to provide sterilised containers for the public to transport drinking water from the tanker to their homes, we cannot guarantee that any containers used by the public do not negatively impact or contaminate the drinking water.”

Uisce Éireann advised that once water supply is restored, households may experience “some short-term discolouration” and said running the cold kitchen tap for several minutes will usually restore the water to a clear colour.

Workers’ Party councillor Ted Tynan, who lives in the area, said he and others in his party had predicted “from day one” that issues around public water supply would only be exacerbated by the redeployment earlier this year of council water staff to Uisce Éireann.

Disaster

“We said that taking water services away from the experts, who were the water workers employed by Cork City Council, and putting them under Irish Water, would be a disaster, and since that happened, there’s been nothing but trouble,” Mr Tynan said.

“We would repeat our call that the Government intervene and put our water services back under public ownership by Cork City Council.”

Water quality has been a major issue in Cork city since the summer of 2022, when Irish Water opened its €40m Lee Rd water treatment plant.

In late 2022, the then Irish Water told The Echo that an adjustment of chemicals used in water preparation at the Lee Rd plant had caused rusty sediment to be stripped from the inside of the city’s ageing cast-iron water mains, resulting in discoloured water in many homes across Cork city.

Manganese

In September of this year, high levels of manganese, up to eight times the maximum levels permitted in EU law, were recorded on both the northside and southside of the city.

Manganese is a naturally occurring mineral which, at high doses, can affect brain development in children, and in adults it can cause symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease.

Uisce Éireann said it is committed to keeping customers informed through its website https://www.water.ie, X channels @IWCare and @IrishWater, and through its customer care helpline 1800-278278.