Tipperary boil water notice issued in September remains in place

Irish Water and Tipperary County Council are reminding customers in the Horse and Jockey area that the water supply remains under a boil water notice. 

They say they are working to lift the notice, which has been in place since September 3.

Approximately 650 customers in several areas are affected.

Horse and Jockey, Forgestown, Moycarkey, Curraheen, Ballymurreen, Drumgower, Newtown and surrounding areas are impacted. 

However, Irish Water says upgrade works are nearing completion.

Irish Water’s Operations Lead, Colin Cunningham, said they are also working toward decommissioning the treatment plant and reconnecting the supply to the Thurles Regional Water Supply Scheme. 

He said they regret the inconvenience to impacted customers. 

“We acknowledge the inconvenience caused to homes and businesses and would like to assure customers that we are working to resolve the issue and lift the notice as quickly and as safely as possible, in consultation with the HSE. 

“The majority of upgrade works on site are now complete, and sampling will be undertaken in the coming days along with monitoring the performance of the plant to move towards lifting the Boil Water Notice. 

“Please be assured we are working as quickly as possible to lift the notice. As the project progresses, Irish Water will provide further updates. 

“We are still hoping to have the Boil Water Notice lifted prior to Christmas, but this is subject to receipt of satisfactory water quality results, the overall performance of the plant and consultation with HSE," said Mr Cunningham.

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The following advice is issued to customers:

Water must be boiled for:

• Drinking
• Drinks made with water
• Preparation of salads and similar foods, which are not cooked before eating
• Brushing of teeth
• Making ice - discard ice cubes in fridges and freezers and filtered water in fridges. Make ice from cooled boiled water.
• What actions should be taken:
• Use water prepared for drinking when preparing foods that will not be cooked (e.g. washing salads)
• Water can be used for personal hygiene, bathing and flushing of toilets but not for brushing teeth or gargling
• Boil water by bringing it to a vigorous, rolling boil (e.g. with an automatic kettle) and allow it to cool. Cover and store in a refrigerator or cold place. Water from the hot tap is not safe to drink. 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
• Preparing Infant Formula: Where a Boil Water Notice is in place, you can prepare infant formula from tap water that has been boiled once (rolling boil for 1 minute) and cooled beforehand. Bottled water can also be used to make up infant formula.
• All bottled water, except 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.
   
• Great care should be taken with boiled water to avoid burns and scalds, as accidents can easily happen, especially with children. 

Customers can check if their property is included by visiting the Water Quality section of www.water.ie and entering the property’s Eircode or by calling the Irish Water customer care helpline, open 24/7, on 1800 278 278.