Uisce Éireann working to lift Boil Water Notice for Mayo island

Uisce Éireann continues to work to lift the Boil Water Notice in place for customers on Inishturk. 

Following mechanical and treatment process issues at the island’s water treatment plant, the Boil Water Notice was put in place to protect the health of approximately 40 customers. 

While drinking water experts from Uisce Éireann are working to implement measures to lift the Boil Water Notice, all customers on the Inishturk supply are advised to boil and cool their water before use until further notice.

Uisce Eireann’s Colette Scahill thanked the local community for their co-operation and assured them that a team is working to lift the notice as quickly and safely as possible. 

“I want to acknowledge the inconvenience that the Boil Water Notice is causing the local community, but public health is Uisce Éireann’s number one priority and this notice is in place to protect the health of locals and visitors to Inishturk,” she commented.

Ms Scahill explained that drinking water experts from Uisce Éireann are working with the HSE to ‘implement solutions’.

Uisce Éireann’s drinking water standards, as per EU Drinking Water regulations, are strict and include wide safety margins. Where risks to water quality are identified through Uisce Éireann’s enhanced testing and monitoring programme, the HSE is consulted, and Boil Water Notices are issued to protect public health. 

In all instances, immediate action is taken to address the cause of the issue to enable the lifting of the notice as quickly as it is safe to do so, in agreement with the HSE.

Customers are reminded that the water is safe to consume once boiled.

Water must be boiled for:

Drinking;

Drinks made with water;

Preparation of salads and similar foods, which are not cooked prior to eating;

Brushing of teeth;

Making of 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 to a vigorous, rolling boil (e.g. with an automatic kettle) and allow 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, 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 formulas that do 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.

Uisce Éireann is committed to keeping customers informed across multiple platforms 24/7, with their newly launched a free text service, providing real-time updates for local issues. 

For more information, and to sign up, see the Uisce Éireann website.