Macroom boil water notice lifted

THE boil water notice which has been in place in Macroom since last November has now been lifted.

It means approximately 4,150 Macroom residents who were affected by the notice can now go back to normal use of the water supply for drinking, food preparation and brushing teeth.

Uisce Éireann (Irish Water) confirmed the lifting of the notice in a statement today, with operations lead Neil O'Riordan thanking 'everyone for their patience, co-operation and assistance during this boil water notice.'

The notice was originally issued due to turbidity impacting the treatment processes at the water treatment plant, which has now been resolved following work by Uisce Éireann in cooperation with Cork County Council.

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

The upgrade, which has been prioritised for investment, 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, which Uisce Éireann says will significantly reduce occurrences of boil water notices in the future.

Tenders have recently been returned and it is anticipated that a contractor will be appointed in mid-2023.