Cork city residents demand action as they face ninth day of dirty water
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People on the northside of Cork city facing into their ninth day in a row with dirty water have pleaded for action, warning that the ongoing water problems are "taking a toll" on the community.
The residents of Mount Farran in Blackpool, whose dirty water problem was raised directly with the Taoiseach in the Dáil last week, have now written to public representatives this weekend, and complained again to Uisce Éireann, about the continued worsening of their water supply.
One householder took samples of their tap water every day since last Saturday and labelled each with a complaint reference number, with the first sample taken on October 12, and dirty water samples taken daily until October 17.
Another householder logged a complaint on Friday after seven consecutive days of dirty water.
A residents’ spokesperson said the water flowing from her kitchen tap on Saturday afternoon was still discoloured and that they are now facing into their ninth day without a clean water supply.
A neighbour has also supplied a photograph of a cherished baby blanket which has been stained and destroyed by the dirty water flowing through her washing machine.
“The woman’s youngest son turned one year old just a few days ago,” the spokesperson said.
“Her older son, who is in secondary school, thinking he was helping his mother, put on a load of laundry in their washing machine - a lovely gesture.
“But for those of us in Mount Farran, it's not as simple as running a load of laundry through your washing machine any time you need to."
She said they have to first check how bad the water colour is and wait until it looks reasonably clear, then hope it stays that way for the full wash cycle.
“Unfortunately, Kathy's school-aged son didn't realise just how discoloured the water was yesterday.
“And her baby son's delicate white first blanket was in the wash. Her baby's first baby blanket, something that mothers keep to cherish, is now destroyed."
The Mount Farran estate is one of many areas of Cork city that has been affected by the city’s dirty water crisis which began following the commissioning of the city’s new water treatment plant on the Lee Road in August 2022.
A change in the chemical treatment process combined with a faster flow of water through the network has been dislodging sediment from the inside of the network’s ageing cast-iron pipes, turning the water brown.
Uisce Éireann has set up a taskforce to try to address the problem through a combination of works, including in recent months the targetted flushing of the network in problem areas.
The Mount Farran residents took to the streets in protest last month and last week, Solidarity TD Mick Barry brought into the Dáil a bottle of urine-coloured water taken from the estate, challenging Taoiseach Simon Harris to “take a sup”.
Mr Harris described the water sample as “vile” but said the government has provided Uisce Éireann with an additional €1bn in the budget to fund it to 2028.
Uisce Éireann has been consistently advising people not to drink discoloured water.
In the event of discolouration, it says people should run their tap for up to 20 minutes, which will usually restore water to a clear colour.