Water outages in Bailieborough Town, Virginia and Killinkere

“With all the money that has been spent on Irish Water, we should be able to get a glass of cool clear water from the taps in our home, is that too much to ask for?”
That was the question posed by an irate east Cavan resident - one of 7,785 Irish Water (IW) customers served by the Bailieborough public water supply served with a ‘Do Not Consume’ ban last Friday. The areas affected include Bailieborough, Killinkere, Virginia, Crossbane and Mullagh.
An exasperated Kevin Carolan told the Celt last Monday: “Two months ago they told me to drink the water, they said it is perfect. Now, on Friday gone by, they have issued the warning that no water should be consumed.”
Local residents are unhappy with the way the utility company have been dealing with the problems with the supply.
“I rang Irish Water about this in early October,” Kevin told the Celt as he watched people filing water bottles from the tanker in Bailieborough behind the Old Courthouse.
Kevin is unhappy with the way IW have communicated around the matter: “The water was brown. I had to ring them 12 times to get talking to someone who would listen to me. I am only an ordinary five eights here in the town of Bailieborough. I’m involved in the community alert and I like being involved in things, but I would rather not have to be talking about this.”

Irish Water and Cavan County CIWouncil say they are working to resolve issues which have led to a Do Not Consume Notice being issued for Bailieborough and to restore a safe and secure water supply as soon as possible. As part of these necessary works, there were water outages in a number of areas last night and this morning (Thursday). The areas affected were Bailieborough Town, Virginia and Killinkere. They said that a full water supply was expected to be returned to all customers in these areas by lunchtime today.
It was necessary to issue a Do Not Consume Notice on Friday, 13 December 2019, following consultation with the Health Service Executive (HSE) due to elevated levels of manganese in the water supply. The notice applies to 7,785 customers served by the Bailieborough Public Water Supply including Bailieborough, Killinkere, Virginia, Crossbane and Mullagh and customers are reminded that the notice remains in place.  
Customers are also reminded that this is not a Boil Water Notice. Boiling the water will not reduce manganese levels and is therefore not a suitable measure to make the water safe to consume. It is especially important that mains drinking water is not given to bottle fed infants. This notice does not apply to other areas and water schemes in County Cavan.
Manganese is found naturally in many surface water (lake and river water) and groundwater (underground water) sources. Water passing through soil and rock can dissolve minerals containing manganese. The levels leaving the water treatment plant are in exceedance of those permitted under the drinking water regulations and at a level where the HSE have advised a restriction on use.
Tankers continue to be in place since Friday, 13 December 2019 to provide an alternative water supply to customers. Customers are reminded to use their own containers when taking water from the tankers and to boil water before consumption as a precautionary measure.

Water tankers continue to be located in the following areas:
•    Bailieborough Old Courthouse, Main St
•    Virginia - The Showgrounds, New St
•    Mullagh - Heritage Centre Car Park
•    Killinkere - Church Car Park
•    Crossbane - Church Car Park
•    Bailieborough - Tesco Car Park
•    Virginia - SuperValu Car Park and Main Street
•    Mullagh - Football field Car Park
•    Mullagh – Bailieborough Road Junction
Irish Water drinking water compliance and operational experts have continued to work throughout the weekend with colleagues in Cavan County Council to resolve the situation as soon as possible.
 
Peter Gallagher Irish Water advises: “The Irish Water and Cavan County Council incident management team is meeting daily to review the necessary actions that are being implemented to enable this notice to be lifted as quickly as possible.
“Flushing of the network has been completed and we are currently carrying out sampling to determine if the treated water meets required Drinking Water Standards.  Alternative sources of water will continue to be provided for drinking and you can continue to use your internal water supply for flushing of toilets, personal hygiene (showering/bathing), laundry and washing utensils. Water from the hot tap of the kitchen or bathroom is not safe to drink.”
Irish Water is working closely with Cavan County Council and has held a number of Incident Management Meetings and actions have been prioritised to rectify the situation. We will keep the public informed, through:
•    Website: www.water.ie; www.cavancoco.ie
•    Irish Water Customer Contact Centre: 1850 278 278
•    Local Media –Radio and Press
•    Twitter @IWCare
Irish Water registered vulnerable customers affected by this notice will be contacted directly and advised on water supplies. Peter added “Irish Water acknowledges the impact on a Do Not Consume Notice has on the local community. We are working hard to address the issue and will continue to work closely with Cavan County Council and the HSE to monitor the supply and lift the notice as quickly as it is safe to do so and safeguard the supply for the future”.
This water should not be used for:
•    Drinking;
•    Drinks made with water;
•    Food preparation, washing or cooking of food;
•    Brushing of teeth;
•    Making of ice;
•    Children under 12 months old should not drink this water;
•    In particular, children under 12 months old should not drink this water. This water should not be used for making up infant formula for bottled fed infants. An alternative source of water should be used. 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 formula that does not need added water can also be used;
•    Domestic water filters will not render water safe to drink;
•    Caution should be taken when bathing infants to ensure that they do not swallow the bathing water;
•    Discard ice cubes in fridges and freezers and filtered water in fridges.
 What can you use water for?
•    The water can be used for personal hygiene, bathing, flushing toilets, laundry and washing of utensils;
•    Irish Water and Cavan  County Council will continue to liaise with the Health Service Executive with a view to lifting this drinking water restriction as soon as practicable.
Updates will be available on our Water Supply Updates section, on Twitter @IWCare and via our customer care helpline, open 24/7 on 1850 278 278.