20 October 2023
By Bryan McCarthy
bryan@TheCork.ie
Uisce Éireann would like to remind customers supplied by the Donoughmore Public Water Supply that the Boil Water Notice issued on 13 October remains in place.
The population impacted by this notice is approximately 867 people. This notice was issued, in consultation with the HSE, due to a process issue at Donoughmore Water Treatment Plant which compromised the disinfection of the water supply. The areas potentially affected include customers in Donoughmore, Firmount, Lackabane, Ballycunningham, Knockanare, Kilmartin Upper, Garraunredmond and surrounding areas.
Specialists from Uisce Éireann are working as quickly as possible to lift the Boil Water Notice as quickly as it is safe to do so. In the meantime, all customers on this supply are advised to boil their drinking water before use until further notice.
Uisce Éireann’s Water Operations Lead for Cork County, Niall O’Riordan, acknowledged the impact the notice is having on the community and regrets the inconvenience to customers:
“We are working at the treatment plant to restore drinking water quality for all impacted customers. We will continue to monitor the supply and will seek to lift the notice as soon as it is safe to do so. Public health is our number one priority, and the notice has been issued to protect all of our customers in the area.”
Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann will be contacted directly about this notice. Anyone who has concerns can contact our customer care team on 1800 278 278 or log onto the water supply and service section of water.ie for information.
Water must be boiled for:
- Drinking;
- Drinks made with water;
- Preparation of salads and similar foods, which are not cooked prior to eating;
- Brushing of teeth;
- Making of ice – discard ice cubes in fridges and freezers and filtered water in fridges. Make ice from cooled boiled water.
What actions should be taken:
- Use water prepared for drinking when preparing foods that will not be cooked (e.g. washing salads);
- Water can be used for personal hygiene, bathing and flushing of toilets but not for brushing teeth or gargling;
- Boil water by bringing to a vigorous, rolling boil (e.g. with an automatic kettle) and allow to cool. Cover and store in a refrigerator or cold place. Water from the hot tap is not safe to drink. Domestic water filters will not render water safe to drink;
- Caution should be taken when bathing children to ensure that they do not swallow the bathing water;
- Preparing Infant Formula: Where a Boil Water Notice is in place, you can prepare infant formula from tap water that has been boiled once (rolling boil for 1 minute) and cooled beforehand. Bottled water can also be used to make up infant formula. All bottled water, with the exception of natural mineral water, is regulated to the same standard as drinking water. It is best not to use bottled water labelled as ‘Natural Mineral Water’ as it can have high levels of sodium (salt) and other minerals, although it rarely does. ‘Natural Mineral Water’ can be used if no other water is available, for as short a time as possible, as it is important to keep babies hydrated. If bottled water is used to make up infant formula it should be boiled once (rolling boil for 1 minute), and cooled in the normal way. Ready-to-use formula that does not need added water can also be used.
- Great care should be taken with boiled water to avoid burns and scalds as accidents can easily happen, especially with children.
Updates will be available on our Water Supply Updates section on water.ie including a map of the affected area, on X (formerly Twitter) @IWCare and via our customer care helpline, open 24/7 on 1800 278 278.
Customers are advised to set their location on water.ie to view updates specific to their water supply. Further information in relation to the boil water notice is available on our Boil Water Notice page.
For customers who wish to check if their property is on the Boil Water Notice themselves, please go to our Water Quality section and enter the property’s Eircode and then click the ‘More Details’ tab. You will then see if your property is on the Boil Water Notice.