Boil Water Notice issued for Williamstown Public Water Supply

Following advice from the Health Service Executive, Irish Water and Galway County Council have issued a Boil Water Notice for the area supplied by the Williamstown Public Water Supply.

The Boil Water Notice has been put in place as a precautionary measure to protect the 986 people served by this supply as the treatment plant is operating outside its design conditions due to extremely heavy rainfall in the area yesterday. As a result of this, the plant came under pressure and there is turbidity in the water and the level of UV protection necessary for the treatment of drinking water is below what it should be. Irish Water, working with the HSE, will continue to monitor the plant. This event will pass and the plant will be returned to full compliance.
 
In the meantime, all customers of this supply are advised to boil water before use until further notice. 

Irish Water apologises for the inconvenience caused by the imposition of the boil water notice.

Further information and additional advice for consumers is available by calling our 24-hour customer care line at 1850 278 278. A map of the affected area is available on the Service and Supply page.

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. 
• Anyone suffering from diarrhoea (i.e. 3 or more loose bowel motions in a 24 hour period) for more than two days should contact their general practitioner and provide a stool sample for testing. They should continue to drink plenty of boiled or bottled water.