Lifting of Boil Water Notice – Whitegate Regional Supply **Update 25/10/16**

Irish Water: Mairead

On the advice of the Health Service Executive, Irish Water and Cork County Council issued a boil water notice on the Whitegate Regional Water Supply on 27/02/16.

Irish Water and Cork County Council wishes to notify consumers, that following the installation of additional treatment and controls, on the advice of the Health Service Executive, Irish Water and the Council are now in a position to remove the boil water notice with immediate effect.

Everyone can now resume normal use of the water supply for drinking, food preparation and brushing teeth.

Irish Water and the Local Authority/Health Service Executive Water Liaison Group will continue to meet and will review ongoing process control, monitoring and testing of the drinking water supply.

The Irish Water Customer Contact Centre (1850 278 278) is available to answer customer queries in relation to this water notice. Further information is available on the www.water.ie.

Irish Water and Cork County Council acknowledge the patience, cooperation and assistance of the general public during the period of the boil water notice and greatly regrets any inconvenience caused to householders and the business community.

Riva10

Irish Water: Mairead wrote: »

Irish Water is continuing to prioritise lifting the Boil Water Notice on the Whitegate/Dower Regional Water Supply Scheme.

We wish to thank the community for their cooperation and patience and, having met with many community groups over the last number of months, we understand the inconvenience the Boil Water Notice is causing to schools, businesses and the entire community.//

1. Whitegate/Dower Regional Water Supply Scheme

The Dower Spring is the water source for the Whitegate/Dower Regional Water Supply Scheme and is located near Castlemartyr village. The Dower source is a very large spring, one of the largest in Ireland, and it has been an important public water source for several decades. The catchment area of the Dower is approximately 20km². Water taken from the Dower Spring is pumped for approximately 10kms to Kilvagh Water Treatment Plant, where it is treated and stored in a reservoir, before being supplied through a pipe network to all of the homes, schools and businesses on the Scheme. The Scheme supplies over 10,300 people with 7,000,000 litres of water per day.

Kilvagh Water Treatment Plant is now 60 years old, having been constructed during the 1950s. Within the plant, there are two types of disinfection treatment in place; water is first treated by UV disinfection (installed since 2012), followed by chlorination.

2. Why is the Boil Water Notice in place?

Severe weather conditions earlier this year resulted in an increase in the turbidity, or cloudiness, of the water in the Dower Spring Source, to a level that is outside the allowable limit required to operate the treatment plant effectively. In the case of the Whitegate/Dower Regional Water Supply Scheme, when turbidity reaches a certain pre-set level, the plant automatically shuts down and the HSE is notified immediately.

Irish Water has increased water quality monitoring at the plant and, where we are concerned there may be a risk to the health of our customers, we seek the advice of the HSE.

The effective operation of the UV disinfection at Kilvagh Water Treatment Plant cannot be guaranteed during periods of high turbidity and its use as a Cryptosporidium barrier is compromised. On the advice of the HSE, the plant was brought back into operation under a Boil Water Notice, to protect public health. As this situation arose on three occasions since 1st January, the HSE advised that a Boil Water Notice remain in place as a precautionary measure.

3. What is Irish Water doing to lift the Boil Water Notice?

Since January 2016, Irish Water has prioritised a number of measures with the aim of lifting the Boil Water Notice:

(i) A survey of the Dower catchment area was completed to determine if source protection measures could be implemented to reduce turbidity
levels in the river;
(ii) A full review and service was completed of the existing water treatment plant;
(iii) Engineering upgrades were completed on the pipe network and have increased storage capacity of the network, providing additional security in the event of future severe rainfall events;
(iv) Storage capacity has been increased in the reservoir at the water treatment plant, providing further security in the event of future severe rainfall events;
(v) A new filtration system has been designed and procured and will be installed at the water treatment plant in Kilvagh in August. Design works are progressing to accommodate the new equipment;
(vi) Irish Water has established a national water quality testing programme to determine if it would be possible to operate the treatment plant effectively and continue to supply water that is safe to drink in varying conditions, including increased rainfall events. Irish Water continues to engage with the EPA and will present results of our water quality testing programme to the EPA on completion.

4. Source Protection

Irish Water and Cork County Council will continue to engage with the community, including landowners, elected representatives and businesses in the catchment area of the Dower Spring, whose activities may impact on turbidity levels. The local community has an important role in Groundwater Management, to maintain lower turbidity levels in the Dower Spring Source for as long as it continues to supply water to the community.

5. Securing Water supply for the future

Irish Water’s longer term plan for the Whitegate/Dower Regional Water Supply Scheme is to boost the reliability and security of water supply in the area by providing an alternative supply from Inniscarra Water Treatment Plant, via an extended large trunk main to the Midleton area. We estimate this project will take approximately three years to complete.


Frequently Asked Questions

How soon will the Boil Water Notice be lifted?

Once the new filtration system has been installed and is operational in August, Irish Water and Cork County Council will complete water quality testing and submit their results to the HSE, who have the final decision as to when the Boil Water Notice can be lifted.

Irish Water is continuing with a national water quality testing programme to determine if it would be possible to operate the treatment plant effectively in future rainfall events. If favourable results are achieved, Irish Water will present them to the EPA and request an earlier lift of the Boil Water Notice.

Will Customers get a discount on their Water Bill for the duration of the Boil Water Notice?

Yes. Customers will receive a discount on their ‘Water In’ rate from Irish Water for the duration of the Boil Water Notice, in line with the Water Charges Plan approved by the Commission for Energy Regulation. The ‘Water Out’ rate will still apply. The discount will be applied automatically to domestic water bills by Irish Water. Any non-domestic discounts will be applied after these customers migrate to the Irish Water billing system.

Note on Domestic Water Charges:

Following the recent government announcement of a suspension of domestic water charges with effect from the end of March 2016, charges for services provided apply up to that time and Irish Water is continuing to issue bills to customers for services provided in January, February and March of this year. Legislation suspending water charges is due before the Dáil this month.

What if I have checked the map and am still not clear as to whether I am affected by the Boil Water Notice?

If you have checked the map and are still not clear, please contact us and our team will confirm if you are on the Boil Water Notice.

What are the next steps?

Irish Water will continue to update you as we work towards lifting this Boil Water Notice as quickly as possible.

How can I contact Irish Water if I have any questions?

For general information and queries regarding your domestic Irish Water bill, please contact us at 1850 448 448. Lines are open from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and from 9:30am to 5pm Saturday.

For urgent operational queries, please contact us at 1850 278 278. Lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

All of the most up to date information with regard to this Boil Water Notice is available on our website www.water.ie.

Is the "Boil water Notice" still in place for the Whitegate/Cloyne area

Irish Water: Daniel

Hi Riva10, 

I can confirm that the Boil Water Notice for Whitegate / Cloyne is still in place. 

For the most up to date information on this notice, please visit www.water.ie  

Thanks, 
Daniel