25 January 2025
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Uisce Éireann working to restore water supply to customers supplied by Ballinatona Water Treatment Plant in North Cork following Storm Éowyn
Uisce Éireann is working to address supply interruptions to impacted customers across County Cork following Storm Éowyn. Repair crews have commenced restoration works in areas where the status red weather warning has been lifted. Our priority is the provision of clean safe drinking water to communities and the safety of water services staff who work to make that happen.
File photo
Storm Éowyn has led to poor raw water quality at the Ballinatona Water Treatment Plant in North Cork and, as a result, production from the plant is reduced. Customers in the communities of Meelin, Barnacurra, Ballyduane, Taur, Boherbue, Dernagree, Knocknagree, Kiskeam, Ballydesmond, Kilbrin and surrounding areas that are supplied by Ballinatona Water Treatment Plant are expected to experience reduced water pressure or loss of supply.
Bottled water is being provided to support local customers impacted by lost of supply and these are located in the following areas:
- Car park outside Boherbue National School.
- Kiskeam GAA Grounds / Community Centre
- Carpark across from church in Meelin village.
Updates on local supply issues will be provided on the Uisce Éireann website, www.water.ie, as they become available.
Niall O’Riordan, Operations Manager with Uisce Éireann said, “This is an unprecedented storm event following which we are still assessing the full extent of the disruption to supplies. We understand how disruptive unplanned outages are and we ask for the public’s continued patience as crews work to restore supply to impacted areas. We would like to thank all those who are supporting our efforts to restore normal water supplies including the National Emergency Co-ordination Group, local authorities, the ESB, Civil Defence and other agencies”
Customers are being urged to conserve water where possible to protect supply while outages are being resolved. There are some simple steps people can take to conserve their water, such as avoiding the use of water-intensive appliances during this time. To learn more about conserving water, visit www.water.ie/conserve.
Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann receive direct communications from us for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours. As per best practice, most homes and businesses will have on-site water storage to provide a backup source of water for sanitation purposes.
The Uisce Éireann customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on X @IWCare with any queries. For updates please visit the Water Supply Updates section of water.ie
Uisce Éireann has launched a free text service, providing real-time updates for local issues. Customers can sign up with their Eircode and mobile number at the text alerts page.