GALWAY COUNTY COUNCIL has issued an alert for residents in Carroroe after a home heating oil spill contaminated water supplies.

The council will shortly be posting a map on its website marking the affected areas and showing where water tanks will be available for supplying fresh water to locals.

Tap water should not be consumed or used to prepare food, and the council has advised people to discard ice cubes from their freezers.

The council is currently working to clean out the water treatment system to restore clean tap water supplies.

Separately today, the council said that boil notices are in place for five areas in the county while other places may continue to experience supply disruptions as water conservation works continue.

Galway’s water supply has sparked health concerns. Four years ago, a major outbreak of cryptosporidium in the water supply of parts of the county cost millions to clean up and saw hundreds fall ill. And in 2008, a HSE report showed that four areas of Galway city had high levels of lead in their water supply.

Kilkenny alert

Meanwhile, Kilkenny County Council has issued a boil notice for Gowran, Goresbridge and Paulstown after suspected slurry contamination. The council pointed out that water from the hot tap is not safe for consumption.

They said it is still safe to use tap water for washing. The council said it is monitoring the situation and although the latest test results are clear, they want to ensure the supply is clean before lifting the boil notice.

The notice will probably be lifted by Friday, it said.