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Boil Water Notice Issued For 19,000 Westmeath Customers

Friday, 11 March 2022 06:46

It's due to an issue with the disinfection process.

19,000 Irish Water customers in Westmeath are subject a boil water notice today.

It's due to an issue with the disinfection process at Athlone Water Treatment, which resulted in small quantities of inadequately disinfected water entering the supply. 

Irish Water says the issue has been resolved but customers are advised to continuing boiling their water before use until 6 o'clock this evening as a precaution.

Areas impacted include Athlone Town, West Side, Baylough, Coosan, Baylin, Creve, Mount Temple, Glasson, Tubberclare, The Ories, Garrycastle, Ardnaglug, Fardrum, Moydrum, Blyry, Killyon Hill, Bonavalley, Athlone and surrounds in Westmeath. 

Customers can also check if they are impacted by this Boil Water Notice by visiting www.water.ie/help/water-quality/ and entering their property’s Eircode in the search bar.

John Gavin, Asset Operations Lead with Irish Water, regrets the inconvenience to impacted customers, adding;

“Public health is Irish Water’s number one priority and we would like to assure customers that the notice has been put in place as a precaution for 24 hours to protect public health. 

“We advise all customers supplied by Athlone Water Treatment to adhere to the Boil Water Notice until 6pm tomorrow. Works are also progressing at Athlone Treatment Plant to increase its capacity, provide increased resilience, and safeguard the supply for the future.” 

Water must be boiled for:

  • Drinking;
  • Drinks made with water;
  • Preparation of salads and similar foods, which are not cooked prior to eating;
  • Brushing of teeth;
  • Making of ice - discard ice cubes in fridges and freezers and filtered water in fridges. Make ice from cooled boiled water.

What actions should be taken:

  • Use water prepared for drinking when preparing foods that will not be cooked (e.g. washing salads);
  • 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 (e.g. with an automatic kettle) 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;
  • Prepare infant feeds with 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. The legal limit for sodium in drinking water is 200mg per litre. Check the label on the bottled water to make sure the sodium or `Na' is not greater than 200mg per litre. If it is, 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. It is important to keep babies hydrated.
  • Great care should be taken with boiled water to avoid burns and scalds as accidents can easily happen, especially with children.

Updates are available on our Water Supply Updates section on water.ie, on Twitter @IWCare and via the customer care helpline, open 24/7, on 1800 278 278. 

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