Boil Water Notice remains in place for customers supplied by Gort Public Water Supply

Uisce Éireann and Galway County Council wish to advise customers in the Gort area that the Boil Water Notice imposed on Monday 12 December remains in place. 

Uisce Éireann’s Eoin Hughes regrets the inconvenience to impacted customers, adding, “We understand the community’s frustration and can ensure everyone that we are working tirelessly to resolve the issues. Several issues have come together resulting in the imposition of this Boil Water Notice. Before the cold weather took hold there were numerous leaks on the network and these drained reservoirs to low levels across the scheme. Low reservoir levels were further compounded by unprecedented temperatures of -8 degrees celsius which caused severe operational difficulties  at the treatment plant, leading to the plant being shut down for unsustainable periods of time, further impacting supply continuity. 

In recent days, plant operations have gradually returned with water supply restored to all customers. Full treatment has resumed at the plant since Wednesday 21 December, with notable improvements in discoloration throughout the network.  Anyone who experiences further issues with discolouration are asked to run the cold water tap in the kitchen for a few minutes. Doing this usually clears any unusual colour. Further information on discoloured water is available on the Discoloured water section of our website.

Eoin added: “The next phase of works will focus on stabilising operating conditions at the plant and maintaining continuity in supply. Significant leaks have been located and repaired in the last number of days, with the benefit already observed as reservoir levels continue to recover”. 

Uisce Éireann and Galway County Council will continue to monitor the treatment process and network over the Christmas period, with a provisional verification programme to verify both plant and network performance scheduled to commence in early January.

Alternative water supplies have been arranged at the locations below and will be replenished over the Christmas period. Customers are reminded to use their own containers when taking water from the tanker and to boil water before consumption as a precautionary measure. 

• Near Supervalu at Church St
• Community Centre
• Punchbowl Estate
• Outside Centra

Uisce Éireann thanks the local community for their patience and for continuing to conserve water by turning off taps and checking for leaks in outside taps or unoccupied premises. As the Boil Water Notice remains, we advise all customers on this supply to boil water before use until further notice.

Localised updates about water supply issues are available on www.water.ie or via Twitter @IWCare. The Uisce Éireann Customer Care Team is also available to help 24/7 on 1800 278 278.

Uisce Éireann and Galway County Council wish to advise customers in the Gort area that the Boil Water Notice imposed on Monday 12th December remains in place, with night time restrictions from midnight to 8am likely in the coming days.

Uisce Éireann’s Eoin Hughes regrets the inconvenience to impacted customers, adding, “We understand the community’s frustration and can ensure everyone that we are working tirelessly to resolve the issues. A number of issues have come together to cause the current difficulties. Before the cold weather took hold there were a number of leaks on the network and these drained reservoirs to low levels across the scheme. On the weekend of December 12-13 the cold weather caused severe operational difficulties at the treatment plant. As a result, a Boil Water Notice was issued last Monday and this remains in place."

“There were further issues caused by the freezing conditions towards the end of last week leading to the plant being shut down. The plant was brought back into production late Friday night.  However there are currently very high levels of water demand on the scheme and we are appealing to local people to do what they can to reduce their use where possible.”

Uisce Éireann and Galway County Council have also identified a significant leak in the town with repairs scheduled for today, Tuesday December 20, which will aid reservoir level recovery, in addition to the proposed night time restrictions.

Eoin added: "We thank the local community for their patience and for continuing to conserve water by turning off taps and checking for leaks in outside taps or unoccupied premises. As the Boil Water Notice remains, we advise all customers on this supply to boil water before use until further notice. See our dedicated Boil Water Notice page for details. As outlined, alternative water supplies remain in place in the town."

Localised updates about water supply issues are available on our website or via Twitter @IWCare. The Uisce Éireann Customer Care Team is also available to help 24/7 on 1800 278 278.

Uisce Éireann and Galway County Council wish to remind customers supplied by the Gort Public Water Supply, that the Boil Water Notice (BWN) remains in place. The BWN was issued to protect the health of approximately 2,776 customers due to mechanical and instrumentation issues at the water treatment plant caused by the freezing conditions which has impacted treatment and supply capabilities.

Customers can check if their property is included by visiting the Water Quality section of www.water.ie and entering the property’s Eircode or by calling the Uisce Éireann customer care helpline, open 24/7, on 1800 278 278. A map of the area is attached and available to view on the supply and service section of water.ie. 

Uisce Éireann’s, Eoin Hughes, regrets the inconvenience to impacted customers, adding, “Unprecedented sub-zero freezing conditions experienced over the last number of days have caused mechanical and instrumentation issues at Gort Water Treatment Plant. Those issues have resulted in intermittent outages, and most recently caused reservoir levels to drop significantly, resulting in another outage which has lasted most of today. The plant is currently producing water however it will be a number of hours until the reservoirs are filled to a sufficient level to supply the scheme. As the boil water notice remains, we advise all customers on this supply to boil water before use until further notice as the final water compliance is compromised in the current weather conditions.

Eoin added: Uisce Éireann and Galway County Council are working throughout the evening to increase reservoir levels to restore a water supply as quickly as possible to all impacted customers. We completely understand the community’s frustration and can ensure everyone that we are working tirelessly to resolve the issues. We again apologise for the inconvenience this has caused.”

In the meantime, all customers on this supply are advised to boil water before use until further notice.

Alternative water supplies in the form of bulk tankers have been arranged and additional tankers are on route. The alternative water supplies will be replenished on a daily basis. Customers are reminded to use their own containers when taking water from the tanker and to boil water before consumption as a precautionary measure.

• Near Supervalu at Church St

• Community Centre
  Punchbowl Estate

Uisce Éireann’s drinking water standards, as per EU Drinking Water regulations, are strict and include wide safety margins. Where risks to water quality are identified through Uisce Éireann’s enhanced testing and monitoring programme, the Health Service Executive (HSE) are consulted and Boil Water Notices are issued to protect public health. In all instances immediate action is taken to address the cause of the issue to enable the lifting of the notice as quickly as it safe to do so, in agreement with the HSE.

Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann receive direct communication on Boil Water Notices. Customers are reminded that the water is safe to consume once boiled. 

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;
• Preparing Infant Formula: Where a Boil Water Notice is in place, you can prepare infant formula from tap water that has been boiled once (rolling boil for 1 minute) and cooled beforehand. Bottled water can also be used to make up infant formula. All bottled water, with the exception of natural mineral water, is regulated to the same standard as drinking water. It is best not to use bottled water labelled as ‘Natural Mineral Water’ as it can have high levels of sodium (salt) and other minerals, although it rarely does. ‘Natural Mineral Water’ can be used if no other water is available, for as short a time as possible, as it is important to keep babies hydrated. If bottled water is used to make up infant formula it should be boiled once (rolling boil for 1 minute), and cooled in the normal way. Ready-to-use formula that does not need added water can also be used.

Great care should be taken with boiled water to avoid burns and scalds as accidents can easily happen, especially with children.

Updates are available on our Water Supply Updates section on water.ie, on Twitter @IWCare and via our customer care helpline, open 24/7 on 1800 278 278.

Uisce Éireann in partnership with Galway County Council has issued a temporary Boil Water Notice for customers supplied by Gort Public Water Supply, following consultation with the HSE. This notice is being issued to protect the health of approximately 2,776 customers due to mechanical and instrumentation issues at the water treatment plant caused by the freezing conditions which has impacted treatment and supply capabilities.

Customers can check if their property is included by visiting the Water Quality section and entering the property’s Eircode or by calling the Uisce Éireann customer care helpline, open 24/7, on 1800 278 278. More updates are available to view on the supply and service section. 

View a map of the affected area

Drinking water experts from Uisce Éireann and Galway County Council are working to rectify the issues at the treatment plant and lift the temporary notice as quickly and as safely as possible, in consultation with the HSE. 

In the meantime, all customers on this supply are advised to boil water before use until further notice.

Alternative water supplies in the form of bulk tankers have been arranged and are in place at Church Street. The alternative water supplies will be replenished on a daily basis. Customers are reminded to use their own containers when taking water from the tanker and to boil water before consumption as a precautionary measure.

Uisce Éireann’s, Eoin Hughes, regrets the inconvenience to impacted customers, adding, “Public health is Uisce Éireann’s number one priority and we would like to assure customers that the notice has been put in place to protect public health. We completely understand the community’s frustration and can ensure everyone that we are working tirelessly to resolve the issues affecting the treatment plant. We again apologise for the inconvenience this has caused.”

Uisce Éireann’s drinking water standards, as per EU Drinking Water regulations, are strict and include wide safety margins. Where risks to water quality are identified through Uisce Éireann’s enhanced testing and monitoring programme, the Health Service Executive (HSE) are consulted and Boil Water Notices are issued to protect public health. In all instances immediate action is taken to address the cause of the issue to enable the lifting of the notice as quickly as it safe to do so, in agreement with the HSE.

Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann receive direct communication on Boil Water Notices. Customers are reminded that the water is safe to consume once boiled.

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;
• Preparing Infant Formula: Where a Boil Water Notice is in place, you can prepare infant formula from tap water that has been boiled once (rolling boil for 1 minute) and cooled beforehand. Bottled water can also be used to make up infant formula. All bottled water, with the exception of natural mineral water, is regulated to the same standard as drinking water. It is best not to use bottled water labelled as ‘Natural Mineral Water’ as it can have high levels of sodium (salt) and other minerals, although it rarely does. ‘Natural Mineral Water’ can be used if no other water is available, for as short a time as possible, as it is important to keep babies hydrated. If bottled water is used to make up infant formula it should be boiled once (rolling boil for 1 minute), and cooled in the normal way. Ready-to-use formula that does not need added water can also be used.

Great care should be taken with boiled water to avoid burns and scalds as accidents can easily happen, especially with children.

Updates are available on our Water Supply Updates section, on Twitter @IWCare and via our customer care helpline, open 24/7 on 1800 278 278.