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LAST UPDATE | 4 Nov 2019
A BOIL WATER notice has been re-issued for parts of Dublin, Kildare and Meath due to bad weather.
Irish Water has said that the notice will impact approximately 600,000 people and comes as a result of heavy rain.
The areas impacted are the same as those that were affected by a widespread notice a fortnight ago.
A map of the areas is available on the Irish Water website.
The provider said that the decision was taken by the HSE, Irish Water and Fingal County Council as a precaution “to protect the health of customers supplied by Leixlip Water Treatment Plant”.
Irish Water said this evening that, due to heavy rain, turbidity (cloudy water containing suspended particles) exceeded acceptable levels in the source water in the old Leixlip plant.
Irish Water added:
Plant operators reacted quickly before alarms were activated and shut down the old plant to stop this water entering the network. There were no issues at the new plant, where the level of turbidity was managed by the newer technology on site. It was essential to re-start production at the old plant, which produces 20% of drinking water for Dublin, otherwise significant restrictions and outages would be inevitable. As Irish Water cannot guarantee the quality the water from the old plant, a Boil Water Notice is now in place.
The notice comes 10 days after the previous boil water notice was lifted three days after it was put in place.
Irish Water spokesperson Eamon Gallen has apologised for the “impact and inconvenience” caused by the notice but said that public safety had to take priority.
Gallen said that Irish Water was forced to choose between leaving customers without water for washing or re-opening the old Leixlip plant.
“The choice we were faced with was customers having a severely restricted water supply for a long period of time or having water for sanitation purposes such as showering and flushing of toilets,” Gallen said this evening.
We were left with no option but to resume production at the old plant in the knowledge that a Boil Water Notice would then be necessary. We will work with Fingal County Council to get the Boil Water Notice lifted as soon as possible, subject to consultation with the EPA and HSE.
When a boil water is in place, water must be boiled for: drinking, use in the preparation of uncooked foods (such as salads), brushing of teeth, the making of ice.
Safely boiled water should be brought to a vigorous boil, such as in a kettle, and then allowed to cool. It should be covered stored in a fridge or cold place.
Water does not need to be boiled for washing, bathing and the flushing of toilets but caution should be taken when bathing children to ensure that they do not swallow the bathing water
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Oh FFS
@Jack Johnson: jaysus jack!! This shower couldn’t run a tap!!
@Jack Johnson: If only there was a way of raising money so they could repair everything that needs repairing…
Oh wait, only people in rural areas have to pay for clean water…
@Mark V: If only the money wasted on meters and setting up a billing company had been used on repairs and infrastructure.
@The Risen: I was talking to the lads when they were putting my meter in. They told me the one they were taking out was far better than the one they were putting in. #bigf-ingscam
@The Risen: Short term solutions won’t solve long standing or future problems.
@The digenous: They can’t even “scheme” properly. Remember Phil Hogans blustering speech about how those who won’t pay for water will have their water pressure reduced to a trickle? Is that what this current shortage boils down to? Also remember that this is Coveney’s pet project, first publicly mooted by him in 2009. PS Fianna Fail are complicit too by their continued support of Fine Gael in government.
@Frank Cauldhame: You mean this one Frank. https://www.facebook.com/eileen.prenderville.5/videos/10157527207565851/UzpfSTg1MDY0Nzk4ODI5NTA0MzozMDg5OTc2NTA0MzYyMTY5/
@Stephen Grehan: That’s unbelievable Stephen !!! I never knew of the existence of that video. There’s no flies on Coveney, the sheer arrogance is astounding in its sinisterism.
@Mark V: How much to ya pay on a group scheme, that so called Irish water were going to charge a fiver a week minimum to city people, the most I’ve ever paid was 78 euro in a year. I totally disagreed with the way Irish water was set up and ran, huge sums of money gone on wages and expenses before a pipe was replaced or repaired. Group schemes work way more efficiently.
@Frank Cauldhame: did you mean “sinisterness”? I think you did.
@Jack Johnson: Its amazing only now after decades of such rain we get this rubbish, its the usual gombeen strokes from the same parasites that already tax us so much…
@Mark V: calm your cacks my dood
@Mark V: Water is paid for as when rates were abolished 1 penny was added fo income tax. Its never been taken off so why should we pay for it twice
@Mark V: perfectly right
@Stephen Grehan: what a snake he is
@Mark V: if you don’t like it then move to the city , and pay an extra 150,000 for the equivalent house you have now while you’re at it
@Scott Stonebridge: if you don’t like the house prices, move to the country. Same dumb argument.
I’ve said it before , Irish Water are letting these things happen in order to change people’s attitude to paying (again) for water. I don’t disagree with paying for water (again) but I won’t be paying one cent until Water is protected in the constitution and can never be privatised.
@Malachi Shanks: Totally. You can see that in the language used in statement. Differentiating between new and old plants and technology and no money to invest blah de blah de blah. Shower of cowboys.
@Malachi Shanks: completely agree. I genuinely think most people won’t have an issue paying for water provided it’s protected by the constitution. The fact that they refused to do this, shows you exactly what they planned. We already have a collection agency called “revenue” and we had departments looking after water for years. There was no need to set up Irish water
Taken from THEPHOENIX.ie Irish Water issued a renewed warning last night that the company is facing “a major shortage of excuses” over the coming months.
A spokesperson for the waterless utility said: “We are currently experiencing an exceptional drought of credible reasons to explain why we have simply not been able to do the job we are paid to do.”
Third world operations
@Gisbert Bayertz: it should be all so simple right?
Everyones a civil engineer all of a sudden.
@iohanx: Yeh , we just need a water system … ‘All of a sudden’
Surely this shouldn’t be acceptable?
I’ve lived in the tropics where this level of rainfall can happen in a couple of hours – there’s no boil water notice issued in Singapore
@Daniel Thompson: Singapore isn’t a kip though
@Joseph Lyons: You off your meds?
@lee Jones: bit harsh. But any suggestions?
@Joseph Lyons: how about a very large desert?
What the actual F are they doing to our water system??? These guys are an absolute farce!
@Michael Phelan: and I don’t buy the reasoning that it’s due to heavy rain. Incompetent waste of space!
@Michael Phelan: well its what happens when they fail to invest for so long.
@Michael Phelan: the water is taken from the reservoir behind Leixlip dam. Unlike ordinary reservoirs, this is just the Liffey, so not surprised there’s huge amounts of suspended silt and other stuff floating about. I assume they simply don’t have the storage and settlement capacity to deliver the quantities we demand.
@Conchuir: cant decide weather youre one of the people who has fallen for the spin or one of the people who knows quite well but propagates the spin
@Conchuir: 1)One of the contracts transferred to IW was the Leixlip Water Treatment Plant Expansion design build contract in 2014(initiated in 2006)& you’ll see the details of Expansion in these these articles:
: Leixlip Water Treatment Plant Expansion will aid shortages(Indo)
: Leixlip Water Treatment Plant /Tobin
: Leixlip Water Treatment Plant Murphy Ireland
2)Giving you an example of Investment in capital expenditure eg under the Water Services Investment Program 2007-2009 there were 955 water and wastewater schemes at various stages of development with a value of €5.8B which consisted of :
:587 projects @value of €3.2B,
:301 projects @value of €2.4B
:67 other projects including water conservation projects@€0.2B
3)When FG came into Government in 2011they slashed capital expenditure on water infrastructure by €851m from 2011-2013.
@Nuala Mc Namara: I don’t remember such a boil water notice in the past when LAs were in charge affecting 600,000!There were 44 boil water notices last year too!
@Nuala Mc Namara: that’s because when the Local Authorities were in charge of water supply, standards were much lower and you wouldn’t have been told there was a problem. You would just have seen brown water coming out of the tap.
@Chin Feeyin: you are basing this assumption on what? I don’t recall any issue with “brown water coming out of the tap” in north county Dublin.
But don’t let the truth get in the way of propaganda eh.
@Nuala Mc Namara: well you do now as Fingal County Council manage it. There have been boil notices every year across the country. Look at Galway, roscommon all long before IW and run by local authorities. They are definitely not the answer.
@Chin Feeyin: That’s not true!!
eg:The LAs remedied 405 supplies off EPA Remedial Action Lists (RALs) from 2008-2013= 295 supplies on the original RAL+111 new supplies on RALs!
IW from 2014-2018 remedied 113 supplies in total
@Conchuir: Same answer I gave to Chin Feeyin!
IW is in charge of water services and infrastructure assets in Ireland and make the decisions re same not the LAs!
@Nuala Mc Namara: When the Leixlip Water Treatment Plant Expansion was done ,there was extensive upgrading to existing plant also, with integration system to bring both plants under a single operating system so I don’t understand why this isn’t mentioned!
Jesus, can we give this back to the councils and do away with Irish water.
@Suburban Dream: It’s the council’s that have done Fk all with it for the last 100 years!!
@Suburban Dream: fingal county council run this plant on behalf of iw. So effectively you’re saying we should continue to let them run it and this will keep happening.
@Bilbo Baggins: Not true,look at my comment above re Leixlip Water Treatment Plant Expansion design build contracts transferred to IW & the 3 year rolling Water Services Investment Programmes including the WSIP 2007-2009 with 955 water and wastewater schemes@value of €5.8B!
@talkingsense: IW is in charge and makes the decisions re water services now not the LAs!
@Nuala Mc Namara: IW make decisions but day to day running is still with the LA. No prizes for guessing where you work. You champion the LA’s here on every IW article despite the subpar work they do across all departments, not just water
@talkingsense: Strange pseudonym to have when you make no sence!
Not a Council worker!Just actually looking up facts before I comment!
The LAs have done extensive work and put substantial capital expenditure into water services through Water Services Investment Programmes,RALs,etc.
Also for anyone interested in the history of the Leixlip Water Treatment Plant might be interested in the 2007 Engineers Ireland publication :’Water, Drainage, People and Heritage’ paper.Info re Leixlip Water Treatment Plant on pages 10,12&13.
In the Report on the value for money Review of the Water Services Investment Programme 2007-2009 it states:
:”Expansion in the capacity of water services infrastructure over the past decade and in particular the 2007-2009 period has been SIGNIFICANT’.
-an increase in secondary waste water treatment capacity of well over 3.7m population equivalent over 2000-2009 &a population equivalent of 658247 for period 2007-2009′.
-an increase in water treatment capacity in period 2000-2009 of over 1m population equivalent and a population equivalent of 372,608 for the period 2007-2009.’
‘This is in addition to SIGNIFICANT increases in wastewater pumping capacity, wastewater pipelines constructed and rehabilitated,water supply storage and water supply pumping capacity and water supply pipelines constructed and rehabilitated’!
‘SIGNIFICANT resources targeted at Water Conservation Sub Programme since 2003′.
It amazes me that people critical of Local Authorities overseeing water services that couldn’t be bothered to actually do a bit of research and find out the real facts!
@Suburban Dream: totally agree
@Nuala Mc Namara: I can afford to be critical of the LA’s given I have to deal with them through my line of work and see first hand how they “operate”. You keep saying what “good” work they did pre iw but you don’t seem to grasp it’s those very LA’s that ran the system into the ground in the first place. It didn’t just fall apart once IW took over
@talkingsense: I’ve given you the FACTS but you’re still spinning that nubbish!Is that your agenda?I’ve shown the improvements done by LAs through massive capital expenditure on water infrastructure over the years through eg the 3 year rolling Water Services Investment Programmes eg WSIP 2007-2009 955 water and wastewater schemes at various stages of development with value of €5.8m.Then I showed the Value for Money Review of the WSIP 2007-2009!
Also from 2008-2010 under the FF Government , capital expenditure alone on water infrastructure was €2.17B even though FF Government was doing 2/3rds of adjustment required by Troika.However FG Government slashed capital expenditure to €1.32B between 2011-2013 even though they had to do 1/3rd of adjustment required by Troika.That was €851m reduction in capital expenditure!IW then set up in 2014.
All contracts, projects and schemes were transferred to IW from LAs.
@Nuala Mc Namara: I’ve also shown that the LAs remedied 405 water supplies in total on EPAs Remedial Action Lists from 2008-2013 !
IW remedied 113 supplies in total from 2014-2018 !That’s -72.1%!
@Nuala Mc Namara: LA’s that were responsible for letting those supplies end up on ral’s in the first place. That’s it Nuala, cheerlead the very people responsible for the deterioration of those supplies for sorting out their own mistakes. And you say I have an agenda. Laughable
@talkingsense: EPA introduced RALs in 2008 &the LAs remedied the vast majority of supplies ie 405 supplies in 5 years.!
@Nuala Mc Namara: you’re still ignoring the fact the LA’s were responsible for the supplies being in such a state in the first place.
More clowns in Irish water than in a circus
Bravo. Playing an absolute stormer
#incapable
#fools
@Rob Ryan: did you pay your water bills?
@Joseph Lyons: if he pays tax, yes he did
@Joseph Lyons: did you?
@lee Jones: I’m referring to the bills in the he post from Irish water
@Joseph Lyons: anyone that pays tax is paying water bills. Problem is mismanagement of the funds.
@Rob Ryan: what about the bills in the post?
@Joseph Lyons: the ones that were refunded?
@Joseph Lyons: What a stain you are!
@Joseph Lyons: Did you pay them you sanctimonious idiot?
@Rob Ryan: of course not. Velat was increased to pay for water. Motor tax was also diverted to Irish water. Why would I pay twice?
@Joseph Lyons: Vat
@Joseph Lyons: Do you genuinely believe that if Joseph paid his water bill that this wouldn’t have happened? – what’s the point of your comment? Would you not agree that if the general public are expected to pay for something (to become a consumer) then it should be up to a certain standard beforehand? Would you buy, let’s say, a new car with no wheels, only to be told by Ford that they need consumer investment before they can supply the wheels of your new car, or would you tell them to F Off, Joseph…….would you?
@Joseph Lyons: yup most likely if he owns a car and pays tax on it like my self https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/motor-tax-cash-used-to-fund-irish-water-30968852.html
Just drank 2 pints of it with my dinner. FFS
@Peadar O’Comain: Hope you’ve plenty of jacks roll in the house
@Peadar O’Comain: stick some toilet roll in the fridge, you’ll thank me later.
Its Ireland, it rains, wtf
Another fine mess
Couldn’t have come up with a better excuse? Its Ireland, Heavy rainfall shouldn’t be an excuse for any service to be affected by “Heavy Rainfall” FFS.
Fingal CoCo & IW are about as much use as a chocolate teapot!
A friend of mine told me this morning that the boiled water notes will come back into place he was Irish water
Here we go again. Housing and health care in shambles and now water. Next air
@Waj Kahn: we breathe dirty air as https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/ireland-breaking-who-air-quality-directions-952843.html
It seems the processing plant was not invested in pre Irish Water’s tenure and funds are simply not available so when bad weather happens the plant is overwhelmed. It’s a legacy issue Irish Water are dealing with.
@In my opinion:
1) We got plenty of rain before IW’s tenure yet the plant was operational
2) IW have been on the pitch for 5 years now. Why is this not sorted?
Government have stated that investment did not suffer with abolition of charges and that they have been putting in as much as if charges still existed.
At the end of the day the people of Ireland will pay for the cost of running the system it is just a question of direct charges for use vs indirect charges through general taxation. The same money has to and is being raised
@john doe: what part of we already pay do you not understand I for one will not pay again
@In my opinion: Will you ever do a bit of research like I did above which are FACTS not the spin you’re so keen on!?By the way all contacts, projects and schemes were transferred to IW from LAs including Leixlip Water Treatment Plant Expansion design build contracts!
@Marty Lawless: ah Marty come on now, read it again. I understand your point perfectly, i dont think you got mine.
Running the water supply in ireland costs €X
We either pay €X by direct charges (billing each house by meter or estimated use) or
Pay €X indirectly through our taxes in state funding to itish water.
We pay indirectly at the moment.
My point is that the Irish people pay for it either way. Some people would have you believe that to pay directly (bills) somehow makes more money available to run the system. This is simply not true. Either way we pay for water but through taxtion the well off pay proportionately more. Which is only right.
Is this worthy of an alert?
@Munsterman: yeah. Once Dublin is involved..
@Yorkie1892: Lose the chip on your shoulder, It’s to do with the fact that 6 HUNDRED THOUSAND people will be affected by this…nothing to do with location.
@Yorkie1892: silly comment.
@Yorkie1892: you sound like the type of person that thinks that a Luas should go through their field
@David Lee: lads its a joke. Calm down.
@Yorkie1892: eejit
@Munsterman: Why would it not be, how else would people know not to drink the water?
People think water falls from the sky pay up sheep
Time to invest in proper filtering systems at home folks and the below is how and WHY:
Make sure it’s one that removes fluoride – best being Reverse Osmosis (average 500e for a system installed under your sink) or Water Distiller (200e/unit on amazon – counter top, run it at night for cheaper electricity) or spring water if you can find a good source (I’m yet to find one in Ireland..). Invest in glass containers (2.75e in IKEA for 1L + get a big jug with a tap for the kitchen for easy use). Store away to have a reserve/bring to work/have in the car/etc.
1. It will pay for itself in no time as the unit/electricity/replacement filters will cost you less than bottled water (which is never 100% pure).
2. You will always have a 100% pure healthy water at hand – quality of it is IN YOUR CONTROL.
3. You won’t need to buy water in plastic bottles anymore reducing your impact towards environment.
Win/Win/Win
https://irishwater.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=56937c0ed9594e3a8d3b480571402a00
The map on Irish water is not working, at least the site did not crash like last time. I think they need to review their IT providers
If only we had not wasted all that Money on almost obsolete water meters..
Privatisation their only agenda
Mark my words.
Their twitter account says it’s “been lifted with immediate effect”? Which is it?
@FrustratedASDMum: Now all the tweets about the boil notice have disappeared. This is ridiculous.
Vintners must be behind this. Soon it will be safer to drink alcohol. Lucky this has never happened before here , the UK or Europe…..apologies. The Plague.
This is not just about water
Again ? There’s something severely wrong with the leixlip treatment plant .
Hang on…. The choice was to run the system at 80% capacity with clean water or 100% with contamination and someone voted for the later? Is this a Waterford Whispers News article?
‘Gallen’ is a tabloid’s dream name for an Irish Water spokesperson
Cloudy water? Is that poo going in to our drinking water?
Incompetent clowns.
This did not occur because of heavy rain it happened because of poor planning and investment which Irish water could have prevented by not spending near billion on stupid metres .
Lovely thanks
Up the dubs
What a joke. First there’s raw sewage just pumped into the sea and then into our beaches. Now twice in 2 weeks we’re on a boil water notice?! Sort it out!
Cloudy water? What exactly is going in to our drinking water?
Incompetent clowns.
I’m gay
Election coming soon people can right all the wrongs or put up and shut up and lie down and be hissed on by FF FG And the indies
I could say that it was a bunch of Muppets running that joke of a so-called company, but that would be unfair to “The Muppets”. At least they provide a quality entertainment service.
Shite in the bucket organisation.
2 tips:
1)i’d boil the water in a saucepan for 10mins
2)Boil water, allow to cool and store in fridge for kettle& for washing hands before food preparation.
Please stop with the (protected, constitution and other crap). The fact is that our elected elite wipe thier feet on the constitution as they pull secondary taxes out of the peoples pockets. EG: Property tax, USC-(tax on tax), insurance levies, sugar tax and the hits just keep on coming. So these deliberate actions by Irish water are designed to play on the fear of people. Do not be fooled, try to remember the last time there was a boil water notice before Irish water was set up.
This boil water notice has been sponsored by Ballygowan. Fresher than a nuns underwear.
Why are these incompetent idiots still collecting salaries? In God’s good name SACK THEM!
@Richard Starling: bring back the good British people who built the system I’m sure they would fix it in no time
Bet if they got more money …all these problems would go away !!!!! ??
Another bullshit story …
A map that doesn’t expand so you can actually read it. Classic journal.
Bring back the county council and corporation.
Some bullshit going on here. For years we have had heavy rains and no problem. Why now. , it’s BS . Why don’t they tell us the real problem
Yes the City Council (former Dublin Corporation) ran the water service for years and there was never a problem. This shower couldn’t run a tap!!!
what a terrible lacking in detail map!
Ohhhn no not again, another boiling notice?! My poor old kettle is going to have the kettle equivalent of a heart attack! :)
I was trying to walk Sandymount strand 10 days ago and it is covered in human poo from Ringsend. They have only stopped posting overspills ( which will happen today due to rain yesterday) because swim season by thier calculations ended on September 19th ! It is awful
Vote Cowan – Dickie
Is water filtered drinkable??
If only they had paid for their water…
have your say