Updated 9pm

LIMERICK COUNTY COUNCIL issued a boil water notice to all customers in the county earlier today, “as a precautionary measure pending further investigation”.

The notice has now been lifted in some locations around the county, which are:

• Kilmallock
• Caherconlish
• Ballyneety
• Murroe,
• Castleconnell
• Patrickswell
• Pallasgreen
• Abbeyfeale (including Athea, Mountcollins, and Touranafulla),
• South West Regional (including Broadford, Dromcollogher, Kilmeedy and Feoghanagh/Castlemahon, Glin, Ballyhahill, Shanagolden, Askeaton, Loghill)
• Newcastle West (including Ardagh).

The notice was lifted after power was restored and “subsequent testing of water supplies demonstrated that the water was suitable for consumption”, said the council.

The notice had been made on the advice of the HSE and Irish Water,due to “extensive power outages affecting water pumping stations and treatment plants”. The council had explained that it is therefore not in a position to guarantee that water supplies are treated to the standards required.

A spokesperson said the council will continue to liaise with the HSE with a view to lifting the notice “as soon as practicable”, but added that it is likely it will remain in place for a number of days.

In the interest of public health, it is recommended that all users of public water schemes should boil water before use. Where boiling of water is not possible, bottled water should be used. We would ask members of the public to follow a number of instructions in relation to the use of public water supplies.

“The supply to the Limerick City and Environs area remains unaffected by the Boil Water Notice and continues to be safe for drinking,” the spokesperson added.

Cork

Meanwhile, a boil water notice has been served in Cork, after it came to the attention of Irish water and Cork County Council that the public water supply in some areas may be contaminated.

For the full list of affected areas, click on this link to the Cork County Council press release.

The information is also at this link on the Cork County Council website.

The councils had the following advice for consumers:

Water must be boiled for:

• Drinking;
• Drinks made with water;
• Preparation of salads and similar foods;
• Brushing teeth;
• Making of ice.

It is also recommended that you:

• Prepare infant feeds with tap water that has been brought to the boil once and cooled. Do not use water that has been re-boiled several times. If bottled water is used for the preparation of infant feeds it should be boiled once and cooled. If you are using bottled water for preparing baby food, be aware that some natural mineral water may have high sodium content. Look at the label for sodium or `Na’ and check its level is not higher than 200mg per litre. If the content is higher, then it is advisable to use a different type of bottled water. If no other water is available, then use this water for as short a time as possible.
• Water can be used for personal hygiene, bathing and flushing of toilets but not for brushing teeth or gargling.
• Boil water by bringing to a vigorous, rolling boil and allow to cool. Cover and store in a refrigerator or cold place. Water from the hot tap is not safe to drink. Domestic water filters will not render water safe to drink.
• Caution should be taken when bathing children to ensure that they do not swallow the bathing water.
• Discard ice cubes in fridges and freezers and filtered water in fridges. Make ice from cooled boiled water.
• Use water prepared for drinking when preparing foods that will not be cooked (eg washing salads).
• Anyone suffering from diarrhoea (ie 3 or more loose bowel motions in a 24 hour period) for more than two days should contact their general practitioner and provide a stool sample for testing. They should continue to drink plenty of boiled or bottled water.

Read: Boil water notice issued in Roscommon due to gut infection outbreak>

Read: Roscommon residents still waiting for contaminated water fix after six months>

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