Thousands of Offaly and Laois households hit with boil water notice

Nearly 4,000 households in Offaly and Laois, including a large part of Tullamore town, have to boil their water due to problems at a treatment plant caused by what's being described as 'raw water quality issues'.

Uisce Éireann in partnership with Offaly and Laois County Council has issued a boil water notice for customers on the Tullamore South and Clonaslee water supply which is located in the Slieve Blooms.

It says this notice is being issued as a precaution to protect the health of approximately 3,900 customers due to raw water quality issues that are impacting the treatment processes at the water treatment plant.

The utility says all customers on the Tullamore south and Clonaslee water supply are affected.

A statement said drinking water experts from Uisce Éireann and Offaly County Council are working to rectify the issues at the treatment plant with a view to lifting the notice as quickly as possible, in consultation with the HSE. In the meantime, all customers on this supply are advised to boil water before use until further notice.

John Gavin, Uisce Éireann, regrets the inconvenience to impacted customers.

“Public health is Uisce Éireann’s number one priority and we would like to assure customers that the notice has been put in place to protect public health. We acknowledge the inconvenience caused to homes and businesses and would like to assure customers that we are working to resolve the issue and lift the notice as quickly and as possible in consultation with the HSE,” he said.

Uisce Éireann said its drinking water standards, as per EU Drinking Water regulations, are strict and include wide safety margins. It said that where risks to water quality are identified through its "enhanced testing and monitoring programme", the Health Service Executive (HSE) are consulted, and Boil Water Notices are issued to protect public health.

A statement said that in all instances immediate action is taken to address the cause of the issue to enable the lifting of the notice as quickly as it safe to do so, in agreement with the HSE. 

The company also advised that vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann receive direct communication on boil water notices. People were also 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.
 
Uisce Éireann outlined the 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;
The following advice is giving for people 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.

Irish water advises that customers can check if their property is included by visiting the Water Quality section of 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 area is attached and available to view on the supply and service section of water.ie. 

It says: “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.”