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1,000 customers affected by major issues on two water supplies in Waterford

1,000 customers affected by major issues on two water supplies in Waterford

Issues have been reported on two water supplies in Waterford this morning, affecting collectively about 1,000 customers.

A Boil Water notice was issued last night by Irish Water to 343 homes and businesses on the Touraneena supply to protect public health.

They say it's due to high levels of turbidity in the water, which means cloudiness caused by high volumes of particles.

Irish Water's Operations Lead, Ronan Walsh, has told WLR News that they're working to fix it at the moment.

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"Yesterday evening we had a mechanical issue with the plant there and high turbidity water entered the supply.

"We had engineers there last night and this morning to investigate the problem.

"The plant has been shut down at the moment but there still may be inadequately disinfected water in the network and hence, we've a boil water notice in place there at the moment."

Experts from Irish Water and Waterford City & County Council are assessing the situation with a view to having the notice lifted as quickly and safely as possible. In the meantime, all customers of this supply are advised to boil water before use until further notice.

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Pat Duggan from Irish Water has acknowledged the impact this notice will have on the community and apologised for the inconvenience to customers: “We are working closely with Waterford City & County Council to restore drinking water quality for all impacted customers. We will monitor the supply over the coming days and will seek to lift the notice in consultation with the HSE as quickly as it is safe to do so.”

Meanwhile, 600 customers are impacted by a water outage on the Ballymacarbry supply.

"We had very heavy rainfall yesterday and, as you're aware, we had a boil water notice earlier in the summer on that scheme," Ronan explained.

"That was due to works to drill a trial well in order to supplement the scheme, which often runs into drought conditions there.

"I suppose, the geology is affected on the production well there as a result of that work.

"The issue was actually resolved the last number of weeks and everything was perfect but the heavy rainfall yesterday seems to have affected that supply.

"Once again, we had engineers on that site there this morning to investigate a few of the issues."

They say a decision will be made today on whether or not a boil water notice should also be issued on that supply once it is back up and running.

The company says anyone who has concerns can contact their 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;
  • Prepare infant feeds with water that has been brought to the boil once and cooled. Do not use water that has been re-boiled several times. If bottled water is used for the preparation of infant feeds it should be boiled once and cooled. If you are using bottled water for preparing baby food, be aware that some natural mineral water may have high sodium content. The legal limit for sodium in drinking water is 200mg per litre. Check the label on the bottled water to make sure the sodium or `Na' is not greater than 200mg per litre. If it is, then it is advisable to use a different type of bottled water. If no other water is available, then use this water for as short a time as possible. It is important to keep babies hydrated.

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