Boil water notice in North Tipp causing anger and upset

A two week old Boil water notice across a large region in North Tipperary is causing a lot of anger and upset, according to local Councillor Michael O'Meara.

The Councillor raised the issue during the April monthly meeting of Nenagh Municipal District, during which he pointed out that the notice is affecting 1,200 customers in the Riverstown, Killeen, Rathcabbin and Portland areas.

“There used to be two water pumps working in Cornhill, Riverstown supplying the whole area,” he pointed out, “but now only one is working. This fact, combined with the fact that we had a very dry couple of weeks, meant the water supply went low in the wells. This lowering of the water supply led to turbidity in the water, which means cloudiness caused by sediment and lime. Because of this cloudiness, Irish Water / Uisce Éireann issued the notice.”

The councillor pointed out that farmers and their cattle have been affected by the notice, because the water supply could affect the health of their herds. “Therefore, many farmers are using tankers, which they are filling using local streams and rivers, to water their herds.”

The councillor believes the long dry spell was caused by Climate Change. However, he is also very critical of Irish Water. “Irish Water / Uisce Éireann is simply not doing its job properly. It hasn't been doing its job properly for the last ten years. When the local authority ran this water system, which is called the North West Regional Water Supply, it was better. We called on Irish Water to fix the water pump in Cornhill but it has failed to do so. The company is neglecting vital infrastructure.”

He said the issue is also affecting people who are infirm and sick and who are availing of Home Help. “I know of one person whose wounds have to be dressed by a nurse on a daily basis, a task which requires lots of water. This boil water notice is making their task a lot more difficult."