Notice issued due to high turbidity in the water
Following advice from the Health Service Executive, Irish Water and Tipperary County Council have issued a Boil Water Notice for the area supplied by the Carrick on Suir (Liguan) Public Water Supply to protect approximately 4,000 people due to high turbidity. The areas affected include all customers on the Carrick on Suir (Linguan) PWS which includes north side of the River Suir and Bridge Street on the South side of the River Suir. Turbidity is a measure of cloudiness in the water and is elevated following a period of heavy rain.
Experts from Irish Water and Tipperary County Council are assessing the situation with a view to having the notice lifted as quickly as possible. In the meantime, all customers of this supply are advised to boil water before use until further notice.
Colin Cunningham, Irish Water, has acknowledged the impact this notice will have on the community and apologised for the inconvenience to customers: “We will continue to work closely with Tipperary County Council and the HSE to monitor the supply and lift the notice as quickly as it is safe to do so,” he added.
Vulnerable customers
Vulnerable customers who have concerns can contact our customer care team on 1800 278 278.
For customers who wish to check if their property is on the Boil Water Notice themselves, please go to our Water Quality Section, enter the property’s Eircode and you will then see if your property is on the Boil Water Notice.
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.
Updates
Updates will be available on our Water Supply and Service section, on Twitter @IWCare and via our customer care helpline, open 24/7 on 1800 278 278. Customers are advised to set their location on water.ie to view updates specific to their water supply. Further information in relation to the boil water notice is available on our Boil Water Notices page.
Irish Water continues to work at this time 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 people to follow the HSE COVID-19 advice and ensure frequent handwashing.