Irish Water working to restore supply but Do Not Drink Notice remains in place for Fethard Public Water Supply

Wednesday, March 7th - Irish Water reminds customers supplied by the Fethard Public Water Supply that a Do Not Drink notice issued on Monday remains in place for entire supply.

This notice was issued in order to safeguard public health following an incident of kerosene contamination of the river Anner which supplies the water treatment plant.

Water production has ceased at the treatment plant and as a result, some customers in the area have lost supply. Irish Water is working with Tipperary County Council, the HSE and other relevant agencies to restore a water supply for washing and sanitary purposes. Specialist contractors are on site doing a deep clean of the plant in order to bring it back into production. In the meantime, we are working to restore a supply to as many areas as possible by rerouting water from outlying areas and establishing new borehole sources. There may be some areas where it will not be possible to restore water for several days and in these areas, we will work with the community to maintain adequate alternative supplies.

However, it is important to note that the Do Not Drink Notice will remain in place until further notice even if the supply is restored. It is expected that this notice will remain in effect for a number of weeks as the issues caused by this incident are addressed.

In the meantime, alternative water supplies are being made available throughout the affected area. In some locations, tankers have also been used to replenish water tanks in schools and other key locations for sanitary use. Irish Water has also been in contact with vulnerable customers in the area and provided them with supplies of bottled water. Details of the locations of tankers will be available on the Service and Supply Section of the Irish Water website at www.water.ie/water-supply/ supply-and-service-update.

The HSE has advised that kerosene is generally detected by smell and/or taste before it reaches a level which might affect health. Customers who have any health concerns should contact their GP in the first instance. Farmers who are concerned that livestock may have consumed contaminated water are advised to contact their local vet for advice, or their local Department of Agriculture contact.

Tipperary County Council’s environment section is investigating the source of the contamination incident and Irish Water will provide any assistance we can in this investigation.

Irish Water and Tipperary County Council fully acknowledge the inconvenience caused as a result of this incident and wish to assure customers that we are making every effort to restore supply as quickly as possible.

Should customers have any concerns or queries, they should contact Irish Water’s 24/7 customer care line at 1850 278 278.

Please Note: 

This water should not be used for

drinking,
drinks made with water,
food preparation, washing or cooking of food,
brushing of teeth, or
making of ice. 
In particular, pregnant women 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.

The water can be used for personal hygiene, bathing, flushing toilets, laundry and washing of utensils, however, if you are experiencing skin irritation you may wish to avoid using water for showering or bathing or washing clothes.

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.

Discard ice cubes in fridges and freezers and filtered water in fridges.

Please note that boiling the water will not be sufficient to make it suitable to drink.

Areas affected include Fethard, Killenaule, Gortnahoe, Ballysloe, Ballynonty, Moyglass, Mullinahone, Drangan, Glengoole, Cloneen, Ballinure, Killusty and surrounding areas.

Tanker locations March 7th

1              IBC Fill Station                    Gortnahoe National School

2              IBC Fill Station                    Gortnahoe St Patricks Gate

3              Parked Tanker                   Gortnahoe Hall

4              IBC Fill Station                    Ballysloe National School

5              IBC Fill Station                    Ballysloe Bottle Bank

6              IBC Fill Station                    Glengoole Church

7              IBC Fill Station                    Glengoole Housing Est

8              IBC Fill Station                    Ballynonty Perries

9              IBC Fill Station                   Ballynonty Mill Rd Estate

10           IBC Fill Station                    Ballynonty Bord na Mona Road

11           IBC Fill Station                    Killenaule National School

12           IBC Fill Station                    Killenaule Castle Quarter Est

13           IBC Fill Station                   Killenaule Cashel Road Est

14           IBC Fill Station                   Moyglass National School

15           IBC Fill Station                    Moyglass Church Estate

16           IBC Fill Station                   Ballinure Graveyard

17           IBC Fill Station                   Drangan National School

18           IBC Fill Station                   Drangan hair Salon

19           IBC Fill Station                    Drangan Housing Estate

20           IBC Fill Station                    Cloneen Hall

21           IBC Fill Station                    Cloneen Drangan Rd Estate

22           IBC Fill Station                    Poulacapple National School

23           IBC Fill Station                    Mullinahone , Cois na An

24           IBC Fill Station                    Mullinahone, Blackthorn Walk

25           IBC Fill Station                    Kilvenham National School

26           IBC Fill Station                    Kilusty Nation School

27           IBC Fill Station                    Kilusty Village

28           IBC Fill Station                    Ballinure National School

29           Mobile Trailer                     Mullinahone School

30           IBC Fill Station                   Mullinahone , Asses Cross

31           IBC Fill Station                   Poulacapple Cross

32           Parked Tanker                   Drangan Village

33           Parked Tanker                   Fethard - Ribworld

34           Parked Tanker                   Fethard - Old Dance Hall