A Boil Water Notice for homes in the Eyrecourt area is now six months old, and is expected to continue into October as repair works are ongoing.
Irish Water issued a Boil Water Notice for 350 customers on the Ballinasloe Public Water Supply in Eyrecourt back on February 25.
The notice was issued due to low levels of chlorine detected in this part of the water network.
Irish Water has said that it is working towards lifting the Boil Water Notice, with testing and repair works ongoing.
Most recently, a flushing valve was installed on the network, but testing afterwards showed that this had not resolved the problem.
Rónan Daly, Irish Water’s Asset Operations Lead said “We are continuing to work closely with Galway County Council and the HSE to monitor the supply and lift the notice as soon as it is safe to do so and safeguard the supply for the future.”
“We installed an automatic flushing valve on the water main network, with the expectation that this device would help to improve chlorine levels in the affected areas.”
“However, sampling results still show unacceptably low levels of chlorine,” he said.
Work is currently underway on replacing 1.5km of old cast iron water mains, which he said are believed to be the root of the problem.
These replacement works are currently expected to be completed by early October.
“At that point, we will undertake further sampling and if all sample results are satisfactory, we will then seek HSE agreement to lift the Boil Water Notice,” Rónan Daly said.
Water must be boiled for drinking, drinks made with water, preparation of food not cooked prior to eating, brushing teeth, or making ice.
However, the water supply is still suitable for hygiene purposes, such as showering and hand-washing.
Caution should be taken when bathing children to ensure that they do not swallow the bathing water.
