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Repairs are now completed on a major watermain burst in Carlow

22 July 2021

Normal water supply is returning to all customers

Uisce Éireann, working with Carlow County Council, has repaired a major burst watermain impacting the supply in Carlow and surrounding areas since yesterday afternoon. The burst was located on the R727 Carlow to Hacketstown Road, between Killerig Cross and McGrath’s Cross on a water main that supplies water to Carlow.

The areas mainly affected by the burst included Hacketstown Road, Carlow from Bennekerry Cross to Rathvilly, Palatine, Browneshill, Killerig, Grange, Rathoe, Ballymurphy Road to Tullow, Tullow (to Ballon), Ardristin, Kernanstown and surrounding areas.

Dedicated water service crews were mobilised and repairs were underway since yesterday afternoon, continued late last night and were completed at approximately midnight last night. It is expected that normal water supply will have returned to all customers this morning.

The repair was complex given the difficult ground conditions and the presence of multiple other services. Uisce Éireann prioritised water supply into Carlow town, while they worked to restore water to the other areas.

Speaking about the repair works, Jim Fitzgerald, Uisce Éireann said: “The repairs proved complex given the location and extent of the burst. Crews worked hard into the night and have successfully completed the repairs. We understand the inconvenience unplanned outages can have on customers and we appreciate your patience as we worked to return the water supply to homes and businesses as quickly as possible.”

Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann receive direct communications from us for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours.

Our customer care team is available to help 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries.  For further updates please see the our water supply and service section.

Uisce Éireann continues to work at this time with our Local Authority partners, contractors and others to safeguard the health and well-being of both staff and the public and to ensure the continuity of critical drinking water and wastewater services. Uisce Éireann would like to remind people to follow the HSE COVID-19 advice and ensure frequent handwashing.

Previous Updates

Uisce Éireann advises that the Do Not Consume Notice for customers supplied by Barndarrig Public Water Supply, Co. Wicklow remains in place. Following consultation with the Health Service Executive (HSE), the Do Not Consume Notice was issued on 9 February 2021 to protect 213 customers following elevated levels of nitrite in the water supply. The water is not safe for consumption or the preparation of foods, but is safe for hygiene, washing of utensils and use in washing machines and dishwashers. It is especially important that mains drinking water is not given to bottle fed infants. Impacted customers have been directly notified.

Uisce Éireann is aware of the impacts the Do Not Consume Notice is having on the community of Barndarrig and would like to reassure impacted customers that Water’s drinking water compliance and operational experts are working hard to lift the notice as quickly and as safely as possible. Uisce Éireann is installing new monitoring equipment at the water treatment plant to help us to safeguard the water supply for Barndarrig. This monitoring equipment will measure levels of nitrite in the water on an ongoing basis for a number of weeks, the results of which will determine if the restriction notice can be lifted, in consultation with the HSE, or if additional treatment and capital investment at the plant is necessary. We are committed to continuing to share updates on progress as we have them with all members of the community and their elected representatives.

An alternative water supply continues to be in place to support impacted customers and 5L bottles of water are available at the car park opposite Barndarrig church. Customers are reminded to follow the HSE guidance on social distancing, face coverings and hand hygiene when collecting water.

Bottled water is available for delivery to customers who are registered as vulnerable on this supply. Vulnerable customers who haven’t registered with Uisce Éireann or those who have concerns about leaving their homes during the current pandemic should contact our customer care team, open 24/7, on 1800 278 278.

Please note this is not a Boil Water Notice. Boiling the water will not reduce nitrite levels and is therefore not a suitable measure to make the water safe to consume. This notice does not apply to other areas or water schemes in Co. Wicklow.

Peter Thornton, Regional Operations Lead with Uisce Éireann, said “Uisce Éireann acknowledges the impact of this notice on the local community in Barndarrig and we would like to reassure impacted customers that our drinking water compliance and operational experts are working to resolve this issue as quickly and as safely as possible. We would ask customers who have concerns to contact our customer care team on 1800 278 278. The water is safe to use for handwashing and personal hygiene and all customers on this water supply scheme should continue to follow public health advice on handwashing at this time.”

Public Health Advice:

This water should NOT be used for:

  • Drinking
  • Drinks made with water
  • Food preparation, washing or cooking of food
  • Brushing teeth
  • Making ice
  • In particular, children under 12 months old should not drink this water.
  • This water should not be used for making up infant formula for bottled fed infants. An alternative source of water should be used. 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.
  • Domestic water filters will not render water safe to drink.
  • Caution should be taken when bathing infants to ensure that they do not swallow the bathing water.
  • Discard ice cubes in fridges and freezers and filtered water in fridges.

What can you use mains water for:

  • The water can be used for personal hygiene, bathing, flushing toilets, laundry and washing of utensils.

Updates area available on the Supply and Service Updates section of our website, on Twitter @IWCare and via our customer care helpline, open 24/7 on freephone 1800 278 278.

Uisce Éireann continues to work at this time with our Local Authority partners, contractors and others to safeguard the health and well-being of both staff and the public and to ensure the continuity of critical drinking water and wastewater services.