Do not consume notice remains in place for County Waterford water supply following exceedance of arsenic

Uisce Éireann wishes to remind all customers on the Ballyogarty Public Water Supply Scheme in County Waterford, that a Do Not Consume notice remains in place.

This notice was issued on Monday, July 29, following consultation with the Health Service Executive (HSE), to protect the health of customers following the detection of an exceedance of arsenic in the supply.

The notice applies to all areas supplied by the Ballyogarty Public Water Supply including Ballyogarty, Graigueshoneen, Cooltubrid East and areas of Kilmacthomas including Union Road, Hillside Crescent, Hillside Close and Cruachán View.

A map of the Ballyogarty Water Supply is available on www.water.ie 

A spokesperson for Uisce Éireann told Waterford News & Star that customers should note it's not a Boil Water Notice.

"Boiling the water is not a suitable measure to make the water safe to consume," said the spokesperson.

"It is especially important that mains drinking water is not given to bottle fed infants."

An alternative water supply, in the form of a bulk tanker, remains in place at Kilmacthomas GAA Club. The alternative supply is being replenished on a daily basis and customers are reminded to use their own containers when taking water from the tanker and to boil water before consumption as a precautionary measure.

Uisce Éireann drinking water compliance and operational experts are working to resolve this situation as soon as possible.

Speaking about the work being done to rectify the problem, Uisce Éíreann's, Maura Phelan, said: "Public health is Uisce Éireann’s number one priority and we appreciate the impact that this notice will have on the community. We would like to reassure impacted customers that 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," she said.

Ms Phelan the highlighted that the water should not be used for day-to-day activities such as: drinking; drinks made with water; food preparation, washing or cooking of food; brushing of teeth and making ice. Children under 12 months old should not drink this water, in particular, children under 12 months old should not drink this water and it should not be used for making infant formula for bottle-fed infants. 

"An alternative source of water should be used," said the Uisce Éireann spokesperson, in a statement to Waterford News & Star.

"Bottled water can also be used to make up infant formula," he said.

"All bottled water, with the exception of natural mineral water, is regulated to the same standard as drinking water," he added.

"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."

However, ‘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. Customers are also asked to note that if bottled water is used to make up infant formula it should be boiled once (rolling boil for one minute), and cooled in the normal way and ready-to-use formula, that does not need added water, can also be used.

The spokesperson said domestic water filters will not render water safe to drink and caution should be taken when bathing infants to ensure that they do not swallow the bathing water. Ice cubes in fridges and freezers, along with filtered water in fridges, should also be discarded.

The spokesperson said 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. Updates are available on our Water Supply Updates section on www.water.ie, on X @IWCare and via our customer care helpline, open 24/7 on 1800 278 278.