Boil Water Notice comes into effect for three south Tipperary water schemes due to workers strike

Uisce Éireann and Tipperary County Council have issued a notice informing customers that precautionary Boil Water Notices have come into effect since midnight last night Tuesday (August 1) to protect the health of approximately 15,150 customers supplied by Crottys Lake, Glenary, and Poulavanogue Water Treatment Plants in south Tipperary due to strike action by water services workers. 

Three days of strike action by Unite trade union water services workers begins today and arise from a dispute between the Unite and 11 Local Authorities over the transfer of water services staff from councils to Uisce Éireann. 

In a statement, Uisce Éireann said its primary focus is and always will be the protection of public health.

"Due to the strike action, Uisce Éireann has taken steps to protect public health by imposing Boil Water Notices on these schemes. All customers in the following areas are advised to boil their water before consuming from Tuesday at 12 midnight until further notice."  

All customers on the Carrick an Suir (Crotty Lake) Public Water Supply Scheme which includes Carrickbeg Area, Abbey Hill, Mass Road, Brookdale, Saint Mollerans, Connolly Park, Castlecourt, Waterford Road, Mothel Road, Sweet Auburn, Manor Close, Woodland Heights and north of the River Suir; Hazel Close, Oak Drive, Beech Avenue, Sycamore Close, Mount Saint Nicholas, Greenhills, and surrounding areas; and the Joanstown area in Co. Waterford. 

All consumers supplied by the Glenary Public Water Supply which includes parts of Clonmel Town centre and surrounding areas including Cashel Road, Cahir Road and Ring Road; and the Kilcomma/Finger Post areas in Co. Waterford. 

All customers on the Clonmel Poulavanogue Public Water Supply which includes Clonmel, Poulavanogue and surrounding areas; and the Mountain Road and Knocklucas areas in Co. Waterford. 

The Boil Water Notices may run for several days as we will need time to assess the impacts on treatment plants and processes post-strike.

There may also be some disruption to water services, in particular, the speed at which bursts to the water network are repaired in all counties impacted by the strike action.

Customers can check if their property is included by visiting  www.water.ie and entering the property’s Eircode or by calling the Uisce Éireann’s customer care helpline, open 24/7, on 1800 278 278. A map of the areas affected are attached and available to view on the supply and service section of water.ie. 

Uisce Eireann’s Regional Operations Manager Jim Fitzgerald acknowledged the impact of this notice on the community. 

“This dispute is not with Uisce Éireann and outside our control. However, it will regrettably impact Uisce Éireann customers. We have stood up our incident management team and are working closely with management in the local authorities to ensure that contingency plans are in place to minimise and manage disruptions to water and wastewater services.

To protect public health, we will have to put a number of areas on Boil Water Notices from midnight Tuesday, 1 August. It is essential that customers follow this advice and boil their water,” he said. 

Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann receive direct communication on Boil Water Notices. Customers are reminded that the water is safe to consume once boiled.

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 our Water Supply Updates section on water.ie, on Twitter @IWCare and via our customer care helpline, open 24/7 on 1800 278 278.