Galway Bay FM Newsroom - Irish Water and Galway County Council would like to remind customers supplied by the Teeranea/Lettermore Pubic Water Supply that the Boil Water Notice issued for the supply on February 20th remains in place.
This is due to ongoing operational and mechanical issues at the water treatment plant that have resulted in the treatment process being compromised.
The notice also applies to the Lettercallow Group Water Scheme.
Over 900 customers who are supplied by the Teeranea/Lettermore Public Water Supply and the Lettercallow Group Water Scheme are advised that they must boil their water before drinking and preparing food.
Once tap water is boiled and cooled it will be safe for consumption.
Commenting, Tim O’Connor, Irish Water’s Asset Operations Lead said: “Public health is Irish Water’s number one priority. The notice has been put in place to protect customers due to ongoing operational and mechanical issues at the plant. Irish Water and Galway County Council Process Optimisation experts have been working on site this week, and improvements to the treatment process will be implemented in the next 10 days.
“We are aware of the impact that this notice is having on the area affected and thank our customers in advance for their patience and cooperation while we work as safely and as efficiently as possible under the current COVID-19 restrictions to improve the operations at the plant.
“We advise customers in the affected areas to adhere to the Boil Water Notice until further notice. We will continue to work closely with Galway County Council and the HSE to monitor the plant and lift the notice when it is safe to do so and safeguard the supply for the future. We will issue a further update as soon as more information is available.”
The water is safe for all other applications including personal hygiene, bathing and flushing of toilets.
In line with HSE COVID-19 advice and the requirement for frequent hand washing, Irish Water advises that the water remains suitable for this purpose and boiling the water is not required.
Business customers will receive a 40 per cent rebate on the cost of the supply of water to their businesses for the duration of 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.
Irish Water is working closely with Galway County Council to lift the notice as quickly as it is safe to do so.
Updates will be available on our Water Supply Updates section on water.ie, on Twitter @IWCare and via our customer care helpline, open 24/7 on 1850 278 278.
Further information in relation to the boil water notice is available from https://www.water.ie/water-supply/water-quality/boil-water-notice/
