Boil water notice for 15,000 people in Cork over Christmas
Boil Have East Notice For A In Some Year Water 10,000 Cork Under Over Been Customers A
Almost 15,000 people in Cork will have a boil water notice in place for Christmas, Uisce Éireann has said.
In separate updates on Friday, the utility said the boil water notice introduced in the Whitegate public water supply on October 18, 2023, remains in place while work continues on a €22m upgrade to the local treatment plant.
And in Macroom, a boil water notice issued on September 30, 2024, due to increased turbidity and operational difficulties at the water treatment plant also remains in place. Just over 4,100 customers get their water from this public water supply.
Some 10,000 customers in East Cork, around Aghada, Churchtown, Ballycotton, Saleen, Shanagarry, Ballinacura and areas of Cloyne, have been under a boil water notice for over a year following increased turbidity in the raw water source, which could compromise the disinfection process at the water treatment plant which makes the water safe to drink.
In July, Uisce Éireann started work on a €22m upgrade at the Whitegate water treatment plant, which is due for completion in 2026.
“In the interim, given the limitations of the existing water treatment plant and pump station, it is proving extremely difficult to lift the BWN,” a spokesperson said.
The new state-of-the-art treatment plant will address the frequent boil water notices the people of East Cork have experienced in recent years.
The proposed works include the decommissioning of the old Kilva treatment plant and the construction of a new plant that will be able to treat some six million litres of water a day.
The new plant will contain a new coagulation, flocculation and clarification system, a new filtration system and a new disinfection system.
Meanwhile, in Macroom, the utility said it was prioritising works to safely lift the boil water notice there as soon as possible.
“We are implementing remedial measures to existing processes and undertaking the longer-term upgrade of the water treatment plant,” the spokesman said.
“One of the remedial measures includes the installation of a replacement filter media. Once this has been installed, and satisfactory results have been achieved, the HSE will be consulted with a view to lifting the BWN."
The spokesperson said they recognised the significant inconvenience to impacted customers.
“We understand the effect a BWN has on the local community and apologise for any inconvenience caused. We will continue to keep the community informed of any developments,” he said.
Meanwhile, the utility has also restated its commitment to reducing the instances of water discolouration for customers in Cork City after a year of intensive efforts to tackle the dirty water problem.
“We acknowledge the frustration for people seeking a resolution to instances of discolouration in Cork City and want to assure householders and businesses that our dedicated taskforce is undertaking all possible measures to minimise discolouration and address the underlying issues across the city,” its regional operations manager for the southwest, Brian O’Leary, said.