Cork city drinking water update

items

Vivara wrote: »

Anyone catch what they said on 96fm about CBC on Wellington Road (very close to their studio)? All I heard was 'Christian Brothers, yes' and something about them being close. I can't see how if that area has no water how they could open if it's such a health risk.



It had been gone since Friday morning like everyone else pumped by the Lee Road. But early this morning we got water and taps that made very strange noises and then it went off again a few hours later. As someone explained, I think it was because of 'back siphonage'.

Ed.

There could be a possibility that Co Council have re directed water mains to supply vital areas such as hospitals and schools etc, I am not from Cork so I don't know the water main system, its just a possibility.

The back siphon idea came from my post, by the sounds of your post its likely that it has indeed happened, could be happening in some other areas too so be aware of possible contamination.

Safety first.

If in doubt boil the water first.

Solair

phi3 wrote: »

They said Christians School is opening.

If they are opening without water, that's highly irresponsible of them.

The City Council should be able to close things down by order if necessary. I don't think people realise the serious problems that are likely if you open something that scale without any sanitation.

items wrote: »

There could be a possibility that Co Council have re directed water mains to supply vital areas such as hospitals and schools etc, I am not from Cork so I don't know the water main system, its just a possibility.

The back siphon idea came from my post, by the sounds of your post its likely that it has indeed happened, could be happening in some other areas too so be aware of possible contamination.

Safety first.

If in doubt boil the water first.

There may well be provisions and contingencies for major hospitals but, I don't think there's anything like that in place for schools. The system isn't all that sophisticated, it's just pipes along streets. You can't really prioritise anything.

sean_84

mudokon wrote: »

I live near there & have water upstairs but not downstairs

The water upstairs is coming from a tank, probably in your attic. The water downstairs is coming direct from the supply. When the tank is empty you won't have water upstairs either.

It's probably a good idea to use to boil water from the tank first if you're drinking it.

JohnK

Solair wrote: »

If they are opening without water, that's highly irresponsible of them.

Who says they don't have water? Many buildings collect rainwater for use in toilet facilities so its possible Christians have something like this in operation in which case its certainly not irresponsible for them to keep operating.

Solair

JohnK wrote: »

Who says they don't have water? Many buildings collect rainwater for use in toilet facilities so its possible Christians have something like this in operation in which case its certainly not irresponsible for them to keep operating.

I said *if*.

There is most definitely no running water up there at the moment anyway from the public mains.

parsi

Based on Christian's demographic I imagine they are fully aware of what they are doing.

Vivara

JohnK wrote: »

Who says they don't have water? Many buildings collect rainwater for use in toilet facilities so its possible Christians have something like this in operation in which case its certainly not irresponsible for them to keep operating.

Schools just a few hundred metres from them are closing though, and they most certainly do not collect rainwater!

Owen

According to Laura McGonigle's page on Facebook (Where she's providing regular updates from the city council on what's happening), it'll be the end of next week at the earliest when the water is restored. The waterrworks is under a few metres of water which has to receede first, and then they can begin to strip down the pumps to repair them, and then reassemble and get everything working again.

8.5 tonnes of water a second was being released from Inniscarra apparently!

brandon_flowers

PaintDoctor wrote: »

According to Laura McGonigle's page on Facebook (Where she's providing regular updates from the city council on what's happening), it'll be the end of next week at the earliest when the water is restored. The waterrworks is under a few metres of water which has to receede first, and then they can begin to strip down the pumps to repair them, and then reassemble and get everything working again.

8.5 tonnes of water a second was being released from Inniscarra apparently!

8.5 tonnes of water seems like a very small amount for a dam to be releasing. Are you sure you heard it correctly?
I am an engineer in the water industry and have installed storm pump stations all over the country, the biggest being in Ennis and is up and running. Unfortunately the overall civil contract is nowhere near finished so the town is still being flooded. The flood flowrate in the River Fergus is 90 tonnes per second and the River Lee is a far bigger river so I would think the dam was releasing 85 tonnes per second.

On the Lee Road Pump Station, I would think they will work flat out to get one pump back up and running and people will be asked to minimise water use. The pumps are huge and will not be fixed in a week but Im sure a temporary solution will be put in place.

nesf

PaintDoctor wrote: »

The waterrworks is under a few metres of water which has to receede first, and then they can begin to strip down the pumps to repair them, and then reassemble and get everything working again.

It was under a few meters of water, then they managed to pump it out and get some work done, then the river breached its banks again and the place reflooded the next day. I don't know how today has gone though and whether they managed to get more work done.

Owen

brandon_flowers wrote: »

8.5 tonnes of water seems like a very small amount for a dam to be releasing. Are you sure you heard it correctly?

Whoops. My bad. Over 800 tonnes a second :
http://lauramcgonigle.ie/2009/11/21/cork-city-water-supply-update-2/

brandon_flowers

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Whoops. My bad. Over 800 tonnes a second :
http://lauramcgonigle.ie/2009/11/21/cork-city-water-supply-update-2/

That is more like it, and to correct her report its released by gravity. No pumps will move 800 tonnes per second.

sunnyside

brandon_flowers wrote: »

On the Lee Road Pump Station, I would think they will work flat out to get one pump back up and running and people will be asked to minimise water use. The pumps are huge and will not be fixed in a week but Im sure a temporary solution will be put in place.

But is there a temporary solution apart from the water tanks? There isn't exactly a few spare pumps in a press somewhere:(

brandon_flowers

sunnyside wrote: »

But is there a temporary solution apart from the water tanks? There isn't exactly a few spare pumps in a press somewhere:(

There wont be spare pumps but the pump itself should be ok. It will just need to be stripped and the bearings checked, its the motor, the electrical wiring and control that will be destroyed. They will get a temporary solution which would get water moving again fairly soon but the control system will take a few weeks I would think. I would actually have confidence in them in getting it up and running by next weekend. Contractors (my own company included) will be falling over themselves to help out.

rotinaj

sunnyside wrote: »

But is there a temporary solution apart from the water tanks? There isn't exactly a few spare pumps in a press somewhere:(

There should be a plan in place. Some of the plants I ve been in down around ringaskiddy and little island have water treatment plants to cater for up 200,000 people. If the council had sence they would of tapped in to these years ago on the off chance of anythin like this happening

items

PaintDoctor wrote: »

According to Laura McGonigle's page on Facebook (Where she's providing regular updates from the city council on what's happening), it'll be the end of next week at the earliest when the water is restored. The waterrworks is under a few metres of water which has to receede first, and then they can begin to strip down the pumps to repair them, and then reassemble and get everything working again.

8.5 tonnes of water a second was being released from Inniscarra apparently!

Water may be restored by then but don't be lead to believe that's the water problem over with.

After the water is restored expect to have problems within your own household. I could go on all day about the different problems you might find which will lead to further delays in normal water service within the house hold. I don't believe the Co Council will inform you of this as they may not be responsible to do so.

Best I can say now is be prepared, also be prepared as you may still have to boil the water for weeks possibly months afterward.

sunnyside

Anybody know where the water in Bishopstown/Wilton comes from? We still have water.

What was the thing about enough water for 1-2 days in a resevoir somewhere? Has that been used up by now?

rotinaj

items wrote: »

Water may be restored by then but don't be lead to believe that's the water problem over with.

After the water is restored expect to have problems within your own household. I could go on all day about the different problems you might find which will lead to further delays in normal water service within the house hold. I don't believe the Co Council will inform you of this as they may not be responsible to do so.

Best I can say now is be prepared, also be prepared as you may still have to boil the water for weeks possibly months afterward.

Indeed, look at whats going on in Galway. Be prepared is the best advice that can be given

brandon_flowers

JimBob85 wrote: »

Indeed, look at whats going on in Galway. Be prepared is the best advice that can be given

Water in Galway has a completely different problem to do with quality of the source. I would expect mains water back in the next 2 weeks max, you more than likely will be asked to use it as sparingly as possible. To get the pump station back exactly as it was last week will not be done this side of Christmas.

LauraMcGonigle

Just a brief update.

There are some areas in Douglas and Ballinlough have experienced resumption in water supply today. Unfortunately this supply is not permanent and will be lost again in a few hours. It is however perfectly safe to use, so feel free to use it for cooking; drinking & showering etc.

It is as a result of City Council divert supply from other areas of the City to ensure the most efficient distribution of the supply we have available. For further info contact me at 0860829371 or www.lauramcgonigle.ie

fulhamfanincork

LauraMcGonigle wrote: »

Just a brief update.

There are some areas in Douglas and Ballinlough have experienced resumption in water supply today. Unfortunately this supply is not permanent and will be lost again in a few hours. It is however perfectly safe to use, so feel free to use it for cooking; drinking & showering etc.

It is as a result of City Council divert supply from other areas of the City to ensure the most efficient distribution of the supply we have available. For further info contact me at 0860829371 or www.lauramcgonigle.ie

Thanks.

Any idea on how long Douglas Com is closed for?

rotinaj

brandon_flowers wrote: »

Water in Galway has a completely different problem to do with quality of the source. I would expect mains water back in the next 2 weeks max, you more than likely will be asked to use it as sparingly as possible. To get the pump station back exactly as it was last week will not be done this side of Christmas.

True, but what Im saying is up in Galway they were told it would be a week or so before it would be back to normal. I would be very suprised if we were back to normal this side of Christmas

LauraMcGonigle

fulhamfanincork wrote: »

Thanks.

Any idea on how long Douglas Com is closed for?

Not being smart - but not until supply resumes and we dont know when that will be. Best to contact the school directly

rotinaj

LauraMcGonigle wrote: »

Just a brief update.

There are some areas in Douglas and Ballinlough have experienced resumption in water supply today. Unfortunately this supply is not permanent and will be lost again in a few hours. It is however perfectly safe to use, so feel free to use it for cooking; drinking & showering etc.

It is as a result of City Council divert supply from other areas of the City to ensure the most efficient distribution of the supply we have available. For further info contact me at 0860829371 or www.lauramcgonigle.ie

Thanks and I must say well done for the info you have been giving thru your website.

You ve got my vote:D

fulhamfanincork

LauraMcGonigle wrote: »

Not being smart - but not until supply resumes and we dont know when that will be. Best to contact the school directly

Cheers.

the beer revolu

LauraMcGonigle wrote: »

Just a brief update.

There are some areas in Douglas and Ballinlough have experienced resumption in water supply today. Unfortunately this supply is not permanent and will be lost again in a few hours. It is however perfectly safe to use, so feel free to use it for cooking; drinking & showering etc.

It is as a result of City Council divert supply from other areas of the City to ensure the most efficient distribution of the supply we have available. For further info contact me at 0860829371 or www.lauramcgonigle.ie

Laura, I just want to add my thanks and admiration for all the work you have done. You are a public servant, in the true sense of the word.

I'm presently in the UK and arrive back to Cork tomorrow. I have one small question:
while 'the central island' is pretty self explainatory, what does 'Lower Blackpool' mean. I live in Dominic Street and am just wondering if I can expect to have water when I return.

items

LauraMcGonigle wrote: »

Just a brief update.

There are some areas in Douglas and Ballinlough have experienced resumption in water supply today. Unfortunately this supply is not permanent and will be lost again in a few hours. It is however perfectly safe to use, so feel free to use it for cooking; drinking & showering etc.

It is as a result of City Council divert supply from other areas of the City to ensure the most efficient distribution of the supply we have available. For further info contact me at 0860829371 or www.lauramcgonigle.ie

Laura may I ask why was a water supply made available only to be turned off again in a few hours?

Also who has given you the authority to announce that water in Douglas and Ballinlough is perfectly safe?

I don't mean to hamper your efforts, I believe you are doing a great job and you are helping a lot of people but I still feel like questioning your latest announcement as I have some concerns over possible contaminated water that could be back siphoned into the water system, the one of which you have announced perfectly safe.

Solair

In the long term it looks like the Lee Road waterworks will have to be replaced with a supply from Inniscarra. There's no way we can allow a situation where the city's supply system could be that vulnerable to a serious flooding incident again.


If anyone is interested in reading about the existing system, this report http://www.corkcorp.ie/ourservices/environment/waterservices/WSIP_Assesment_2007-2014.pdf gives you quite a lot of detail about how it works.

nesf

brandon_flowers wrote: »

There wont be spare pumps but the pump itself should be ok. It will just need to be stripped and the bearings checked, its the motor, the electrical wiring and control that will be destroyed. They will get a temporary solution which would get water moving again fairly soon but the control system will take a few weeks I would think. I would actually have confidence in them in getting it up and running by next weekend. Contractors (my own company included) will be falling over themselves to help out.

The issue is mostly that the motors attached are high voltage gear and not many places are qualified to repair such. The motors shouldn't need a full rewind though, there wasn't any power turned on when the place flooded thankfully from what I've heard so the damage to the motors shouldn't require them to need replacing.

Edit: Got an update, all the gear was gotten out today and is being repaired right now, so hurrah and such. Will take a while to be fixed but it's getting done. Well done to all the civil servants involved who've been at it all weekend to get us to this point.

LauraMcGonigle

the beer revolu wrote: »

Laura, I just want to add my thanks and admiration for all the work you have done. You are a public servant, in the true sense of the word.

I'm presently in the UK and arrive back to Cork tomorrow. I have one small question:
while 'the central island' is pretty self explainatory, what does 'Lower Blackpool' mean. I live in Dominic Street and am just wondering if I can expect to have water when I return.

Hi Beer,

Most up to date list of affected areas is here , http://lauramcgonigle.ie/2009/11/20/emergency-water-supplies-depot-details/