Read what to do.
Skip to main contentUisce Éireann LogoUisce Éireann

Crews working to restore normal water supplies to parts of Cork impacted by Storm Isha

22 January 2024

Information below is relevant until further updates are provided here or on our Supply and Service Updates section.

Uisce Éireann is working to address any supply interruptions to customers as a result of the impacts of Storm Isha on water treatment infrastructure. Our priority is the provision of clean safe drinking water to communities and the safety of water services staff who work to make that happen.

A number of our plants and pumping stations, particularly in the North West of the country have been impacted by power outages or poor raw water quality due to flooding. To date the most impacted areas are in Mayo, Donegal and parts of the South-East, where several supplies are currently experiencing difficulties. We also continue to closely monitor the Greater Dublin area especially North Wicklow following record demand last week for water. There has been a significant increase in bursts and a decrease in treated water storage for the region.

In Cork, parts of Clonakilty, Dunmanway, Cloughduv and Newmarket are without water with nighttime restrictions likely to be put in place to give reservoirs time to replenish. There are also several burst watermains in Kanturk, Kinsale, Castlelyons and Glanmire that may be impacting customers’ supply. Customers in these areas are asked to conserve water over the coming days. 

Water services staff have been mobilised around the country to make the necessary repairs at plants and on the water network. We are also liaising closely with the ESB to prioritise the restoration of power to plants affected by electricity outages with backup generators in place at our plants to maintain supplies in many areas. 

Niall O Riordan, Water Operations Lead for Uisce Éireann in Cork County, said: “Uisce Éireann has implemented its emergency response processes and is working closely with National Emergency Co-ordination Committee, Local Authorities, ESB and other partners to co-ordinate the national response address any impact on water supplies due to Storm Isha. For areas where supplies that have been impacted, Uisce Éireann crews are on the ground working to restore production as soon as it is possible.”

“We would like to thank all the crews who have been working overnight and through the morning to carry out repairs throughout the network. We also want to thank impacted customers for their patience as we work to restore normal supplies."

“We are appealing to customers to check for leaks in the home and carry out necessary leak repairs. We are also asking farmers to check their service pipes, drinking troughs and outbuildings. Repairing leaks can help to prevent issues like reduced water pressure or water supply disruptions. We are also asking the public for their support to help reduce overall demand by preventing avoidable loss of water and conserving water.”

There are a number of key things that the public can do to help protect water supplies, including: 

  • Check your home, business premises and unoccupied premises for leaks and get them fixed.
  • Report any leaks you see in the public network via water.ie or the Uisce Éireann customer care centre, so that we can prioritise and dispatch crews to carry out critical repairs.
  • Don’t leave taps running and fix any dripping taps inside or outside your property.
  • Be mindful of water use in your business and look for opportunities to make savings. This can save businesses money, not only in their water bills but also in their energy costs as heating, pumping water etc. all require additional electricity.
  • You can find lots of useful water saving tips on our Conservation page. This also includes an easy-to-use conservation calculator so you can work out how much water you are currently saving and how to conserve even more.

The Uisce Éireann website is updated regularly with local outage information and our contact centre is available 24/7 on 1800 278 278 to support our customers. 

Customers are urged to check water.ie and or report loss of service or visible leaks to assist Uisce Éireann to identify bursts. Live updates on outages are also available on X (formally Twitter) @IWCare.