Water outage in parts Cork City following watermain burst

07 March 2024

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

To carry out repair works, a water outage will be required this evening from 7pm until 1am

Due to a burst watermain on Military Road, Cork City this morning, a water outage impacting some 3000 homes and businesses is required this evening to carry repair works. 

Once the burst occurred, Water Service Engineers were able to isolate the burst and maintain supply to local residents with the aim of carrying out repair works during off peak hours. 

To carry out repair works, a water outage will be required this evening from 7pm until 1am. Areas potentially impacted include: Old Youghal Road. Junction of Audley Place to Gordons Hill, Military Road, Wellington Road, Gardiners Hill, Middle Glanmire Road, Montenotte, Lover Walks, Lower Glanmire Road, Ballyhooley Road, Ballyvolane New Road, Banduff Road and surrounding areas

Following any significant activity on the water network, we usually see increased reports of sediment becoming dislodged from the old cast iron pipes, resulting in discoloured water at customer taps. 

If your tap water is discoloured, running the tap for up to 20 minutes will usually restore water to a clear colour. Water is safe to drink once the water is running clear. Uisce Éireann continues to advise customers not to drink discoloured water. 

Ongoing testing and analysis of the water supply continues, in conjunction with extensive monitoring across Cork City’s distribution network. This ensures the water is compliant with drinking water regulations and is safe to drink. The results of these ongoing tests are shared with the EPA and the HSE. 

Sean Lynch, Operations Lead for Uisce Éireann in Cork City said:

“We understand the inconvenience that unplanned outages can have, and we thank customers for their support. We have been able to maintain the water supply to customers in the area throughout the day, but we will need to carry out repairs overnight, which will require a water outage. We anticipate that normal supply will be restored to all customers by the morning.”

Following repair works, it typically takes two to three hours for normal supply to fully restore to all areas as the water refills the network, especially for those on higher ground or at the end of the network.

Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann receive direct communications from us for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours. Uisce Éireann continues to provide detailed, real-time, and local information about water service and supply issues on www.water.ie. The Uisce Éireann customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and updates are also issued via X (formerly Twitter) @IWCare. 

To register as a vulnerable customer or nominate an alternative contact, visit the Vulnerable Customer page.