Do Not Consume Notice issued for Drum Public Water Supply to protect customers’ health

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

Following consultation with the Health Service Executive (HSE), Uisce Éireann has issued a Do Not Consume Notice for customers supplied by the Drum Public Water Supply in Co Monaghan.  

This notice has been issued to protect the health of customers on the supply due to elevated levels of manganese and iron in the raw water entering the supply.

Please note this is not a Boil Water Notice. Boiling the water is not a suitable measure to make the water safe to consume. It is especially important that mains drinking water is not given to bottle fed infants.  

This Do Not Consume Notice applies to all customers served by the Drum Public Water Supply. A map of the Drum Public Water Supply Scheme is available below. 

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’s customer care helpline, open 24/7, on 1800 278 278.  

Tankers providing an alternative water supply for customers will be located in Drum Village.

Customers are reminded to use their own containers when taking water from the tankers and to boil water before consumption as per HSE advice. 

Uisce Éireann’s drinking water compliance and operational experts are working to resolve this situation and lift the notice as soon as possible. 

An incident management team has been established and is meeting daily to assess the situation and investigate and implement solutions to lift the notice as quickly as possible. 

Uisce Éireann’s Peter Gallagher thanked customers for their patience while the notice is in place.   

“Uisce Éireann is aware of the impact a Do Not Consume Notice has on the community and would like to reassure impacted customers we are working to lift the notice as quickly and as safely as possible. We would ask customers who have concerns to contact our customer care team on 1800 278 278,” said Peter.

This water should not be used for:

• Drinking 
• Drinks made with water 
• Food preparation, washing or cooking of food, 
• Brushing of teeth 
• Making of ice 
• Children under 12 months old should not drink this water 
• 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 this water for? 

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

Uisce Éireann will continue to liaise with the Health Service Executive with a view to lifting this drinking water restriction as soon as practicable. 

Uisce Éireann is committed to keeping customers informed across multiple platforms 24/7 and we encourage customers to engage with us through our website, X channels @IWCare and through our customer care helpline which is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278.  

Uisce Éireann also has a free text service, providing real-time updates for local issues. Customers can sign up with their Eircode and mobile number via the panel below.