HOUSEHOLDERS, businesses and care providers in the greater Skibbereen area have told of ‘difficult’ conditions during a week-long boil water notice which was lifted on Wednesday evening.
Dennis Joseph, the director of nursing at the Skibbereen Residential Care Centre, spoke to The Southern Star about how difficult it is to manage the situation, especially in the warm weather.
He said they had been buying bottled water for staff and residents, which is expensive, but necessary in order to ‘look after the health and safety of everyone’. He confirmed that bottled water had also been used for cooking, adding: ‘It is disconcerting not knowing how long the boil water notice will be in force.’
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Other customers registered their protests online by citing ‘poor communication’ from Uisce Éireann, but UÉ confirmed it was continuing to monitor water levels closely.
Following consultation with the HSE, UÉ first issued the precautionary boil water notice for 8,125 people on Monday June 22nd ‘to protect the health of customers on the Ballyhilty public water supply’ confirming that turbidity was the issue.
The affected areas included Old Court, Baltimore, Church Cross, Kilcoe, Ballydehob, Schull, Lowertown, Drimoleague, Castledonovan and surrounding areas.
People were permitted to use water from the taps for sanitation purposes, but water intended for consumption, or cooking, should be boiled and then cooled.
Earlier this week a spokesperson for Uisce Éireann said: ‘Remedial works are under way at the plant, and we are actively engaging with the HSE to progress the required testing to lift the notice as quickly as possible, once it is safe to
do so.’
At that stage no timeframe was given for the likely lifting of the notice, which has come at the height of the tourism season, and the hottest period of the year so far, which resulted in added difficulties for vulnerable people, including older members of the
community.
In addition to the issue with Ballyhilty, Uisce Éireann has introduced targeted night-time restrictions to allow treated water at the Lake Cross Water Treatment Plant, which is located at the junction leading to Tragumna, recover.
The spokesperson said this would protect daytime supply for homes, farms and businesses in the Skibbereen, Lake Cross, Union Hall, Squince, Myross, Castletownshend, Sandycove, Tragumna, Lough Hyne, Coom, and surrounding areas.
UÉ confirmed it is also tankering water to treated reservoirs to support water schemes in Bantry at Derryginach and Cahernacrin. On the Beara Peninsula, the spokesperson reported ‘progress’ in improving Adrigole’s local water supply.
On Wednesday evening UÉ issued an update advising the precautionary boil water notice had been lifted on Ballyhilty public water supply with ‘immediate effect’.
Thanking customers for their understanding UÉ added that following consultation with the HSE customers on this network could ‘resume normal use of their water supply’.
