Irish Water and Tipperary County Council are working to identify solutions to enable the lifting of a Boil Water Notice affecting approximately 1,752 customers served by the Borrisokane Public Water Supply.
The Boil Water Notice was issued last week, in consultation with the HSE, following the detection of cryptosporidium during sampling of the water supply.
As a precautionary measure, in order to protect public health, people in the area are advised to continue to boil their water before use for drinking, cooking or brushing teeth until further notice (see boil water notice information below).
Duane O’Brien, Operations Lead with Irish Water, said “Since the initial detection of cryptosporidium in the supply last week we have been working with Tipperary County Council to identify the cause and possible solutions to this issue. Further sampling has been taking place and, in parallel with this, we are examining all available measures to resolve this issue.
“Our priority is to safeguard public health and any decision to lift the notice will be taken, in consultation with the HSE, once we are confident that it is safe to do so. Unfortunately it is not possible to provide a timeframe at this point but we would like to assure customers that we are working as a matter of priority to resolve this issue and will provide regular updates as they become available. We apologise for any inconvenience as a result of this necessary public health advice.”
Irish Water continues to work with our Local Authority partners, contractors and others to safeguard the health and well-being of both staff and the public and to ensure the continuity of critical drinking water and wastewater services. Irish Water would like to remind customers to follow the HSE COVID-19 advice and ensure frequent handwashing. Unboiled water can be used for personal hygiene, bathing and flushing of toilets but not for brushing teeth or gargling
For queries regarding this Boil Water Notice, customers should contact Irish Water directly on our customer care helpline, open 24/7, on 1850 278 278. Updates will be available on the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website and via Twitter @IWCare.
Further information on using water during a Boil Water Notice can be found on the Irish Water website at www.water.ie/water-supply/water-quality/boil-water-notice.
Boil Water Notice advice
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
- Prepare infant feeds with water that has been brought to the boil once and cooled.
- Do not use water that has been re-boiled several times. If bottled water is used for the preparation of infant feeds it should be boiled once and cooled.
- If you are using bottled water for preparing baby food, be aware that some natural mineral water may have high sodium content. The legal limit for sodium in drinking water is 200mg per litre.
- Check the label on the bottled water to make sure the sodium or `Na’ is not greater than 200mg per litre.
- If it is, then it is advisable to use a different type of bottled water.
- If no other water is available, then use this water for as short a time as possible. It is important to keep babies hydrated.
Great care should be taken with boiled water to avoid burns and scalds as accidents can easily happen, especially with children.
