Boil water notice issued for Macroom and surrounding areas

A BOIL water notice has been issued for the area supplied by the Macroom public water supply to protect public health.

Uisce Éireann (formerly Irish Water) issued the notice following consultation with the HSE, due to 'a combination of adverse weather and operational issues resulting in elevated levels of turbidity at Macroom Water Treatment Plant.'

The notice impacts approximately 4,237 Uisce Éireann customers in Macroom town, Codrum, Masseytown, Kilnagurteen, Coolehane, Coolcower, Macloneigh, Carrigadrohid, and surrounding areas.

Uisce Éireann says specialists are working as quickly as possible to have the notice lifted. In the meantime, all customers on this supply are advised to boil water before use until further notice.

Uisce Éireann’s water operations lead for Cork county, Niall O’Riordan acknowledged the impact this notice will have apologised for the inconvenience: 'In recent months, we have been working at the treatment plant to implement short-term measures to increase the reliance of the drinking water quality for customers supplied by the Macroom Water Treatment Plant,' he said.

'We will continue to do so and monitor the supply with the aim of lifting 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. There are, however, limitations with the existing water treatment plant that will only be fully resolved with the long-term upgrade that is planned.'

Uisce Éireann is currently progressing a major project to upgrade and modernise the Macroom Water Treatment Plant to increase its capacity, provide increased resilience, and secure the water supply in Macroom and surrounding areas.

The upgrade will also include the provision of new rapid gravity type filters and new coagulation and flocculation equipment, providing increased protection against issues with raw water quality, including turbidity, and according to Uisce Éireann, will significantly reduce occurrences of boil water notices in the future.

A contractor, Glanua, has been appointed and the design of the water treatment plant upgrade has commenced.

Subject to all necessary consents, Uisce Éireann anticipates that construction works will commence in late 2024 with a 12-month construction period, followed by commissioning in early 2026.

Further updates will be provided as the project progresses.

According to Uisce Éireann, 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 are available on the Water Supply Updates section of water.ie, on X (formerly Twitter) @IWCare and via Uisce Éireann's customer care helpline, open 24/7 on 1800 278 278.

Business customers can sign up to Uisce Éireann’s text alert service to receive updates on supply interruptions over four hours in duration at www.water.ie/business-updates