Residents warned not to drink from Shercock public water supply
Shercock residents are being warned not to drink or wash from the public water supply.
Irish Water and Cavan County Council issued a 'Do Not Drink' and 'Do Not Wash' drinking water restriction on the supply, on the advice of the HSE.
This drinking water restriction is effective immediately due to increased chlorine levels in the water supply. The issue was detected following sampling which showed elevated chlorine levels in the supply due to a mechanical failure at the parent supply, which is the Dhuish Group Water Scheme.
The HSE advises that water from this supply is unsafe to:
•Consume for drinking;
•Use in connection with food preparation; and
•Use for personal hygiene, including brushing teeth and bathing.
All prepared drinks, foods, ice cubes and baby foods which contain water from the network should be discarded.
"In the interest of public health, it is advised that all users, both domestic and commercial, on the affected scheme should not use tap water until further notice except for flushing of toilets and flushing of internal house plumbing systems," read a statement from Irish Water.
"Irish Water expects that the issue will be resolved in the coming days and in the meantime customers must not drink the water or wash in the water until further notice."
Vulnerable customers on this supply who have self-registered with Irish Water will be contacted directly.
Customers are advised to draw down water from attic/storage tanks; to flush toilets or run bathroom taps intermittently; and as tanks refill chlorine levels in storage tank will return to normal.
Tankered water will be available at The Fairgreen, Shercock (junction of Main Street and Carrickmacross Road) and The Bring Centre, (bottle bank), Cootehill Road, Shercock. Leaflets advising customers of the Do Not Drink and Do Not Wash notice will be hand delivered to properties in the impacted area by Cavan County Council staff.
Apology
Irish Water and Cavan County Council apologise for the inconvenience caused by this restriction and thanks customers for their patience while both organisations liaise with the HSE to remove the notice as quickly as possible.
For more information and additional advice, please call Irish Water’s 24-hour customer care helpline on 1850 278 278 or log onto www.water.ie