Boil Water Notice issued for Newmarket Regional Public Water Supply with immediate effect to protect the health of customers

This notice is being issued because of high turbidity levels in the water source caused by Storm Barra. As a result, Irish Water cannot guarantee that the drinking water entering the Newmarket Regional Public Water Supply is being properly disinfected. The areas affected are Newmarket, Kanturk, Meelin, Kilbrin, Castlemagner, Tullylease, Lismire, Knocknagree, Kiskeam, Ballydesmond, Cullen, Boherbue, Dromtariffe and Derrinagree. Three maps are also attached.

For customers who wish to check if their property is on the Boil Water Notice, please go to the water quality section of water.ie, enter the property’s Eircode, click ‘more details’ and you will then see if your property is on the Boil Water Notice.

Vulnerable customers who have registered with Irish Water will be contacted directly about this notice. Anyone who has concerns can contact our customer care team on 1800 278 278 or log onto the water supply and service section of www.water.ie for information.

Experts from Irish Water and Cork 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.

Neil Smyth, Irish Water, has acknowledged the impact this notice will have on the community and apologised for the inconvenience to customers. “We are working closely with Cork County Council to restore drinking water quality for all impacted customers. We will monitor the supply over the coming days and will seek to lift the notice in consultation with the HSE as quickly as it is safe to do so. Water quality issues at the plant in Newmarket Regional have been caused by the impact of Storm Barra. We will work over the coming days, once the storm has passed, to restore normal supply,” he added.

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.

Further information in relation to the boil water notice is available from https://www.water.ie/water-supply/water-quality/boil-water-notice/.

For updates on Storm Barra please visit www.gov.ie/stormbarra/.