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UPDATE Friday 24 September, 2021: The Boil Water Notice, imposed on Friday 17 September for the Lismore Deerpark Water Supply remains in place, with testing and remedial works ongoing. Irish Water and Waterford City and County Council, in consultation with the HSE anticipate the Boil Water Notice will be lifted next week. Speaking about the Boil Water Notice, Regional Operations Lead, Ronan Walsh said;

“We are hopeful that we will be in a position to lift the Boil Water Notice within a fortnight, depending on satisfactory results and remedial works being completed. Public health is our number one priority and once we are alerted to potential health risks, we act as quickly as we can, alerting the HSE in relation to these risks. Conversely, once we are satisfied all necessary works and measures are put in place, and following consultation with the HSE again, we will lift a notice, but not until it is safe to do so.”

Irish Water continues to work currently 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.

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.

Friday, 17th Sept

Following consultation with the Health Service Executive, Irish Water and Waterford City and County Council are issuing a Boil Water Notice with immediate effect to protect the health of consumers supplied by the Lismore Deerpark Public Water Supply.

The Boil Water Notice has been put in place due to issues with disinfection of the water at the treatment plant, and the notice affects all of the 1,671 people supplied by the Lismore Deerpark Public Water Supply area.

Experts from Irish Water and Waterford City and County Council are working to assess the situation currently, investigating the issues at the treatment plant with a view to implementing solutions to lift the notice as quickly and as safely as possible. In the meantime, all customers on this supply are advised to boil their water before use until further notice.

Speaking about the Boil Water Notice, Irish Water Drinking Water Compliance Specialist, Pat Duggan said;

“Public health is our main priority, and after consulting with the HSE, a Boil Water Notice has been put in place on the Lismore Deerpark supply. We are working closely with our partners in Waterford City and County Council to address the issues and hope to lift the notice as soon as it is safe to do so.”

Vulnerable customers will be contacted and customers who have any other concerns can contact our customer care team on 1800 278 278. Updates will be available on our Water Supply Updates section on water.ie, on Twitter @IWCare. Further information in relation to the boil water notice is available from https://www.water.ie/water-supply/water-quality/boil-water-notice/

Irish Water continues to work currently 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.