Essential maintenance works in parts of Cork City from 8 May 2023
Uisce Éireann and Cork City Council wish to advise customers on the Redemption Road, Commons Road, Mary Aikenhead Place, Farranree and the surrounding areas that scheduled maintenance works will be taking place on the network to address ongoing intermittent discolouration issues.
There are approximately 600km of watermains in Cork city, 60%-70% of which are made from cast iron and up to 100 years old. This, combined with improvement works across the city, unplanned outages or bursts, and new infrastructure being brought online, is adding to discolouration issues normally associated with an aging network for a small number of customers.
From Monday, 8 May, for approximately 10 days, Uisce Éireann and Cork City Council will commence flushing works which involves isolating small sections of the network and clearing the watermains of any sediment from these old cast iron pipes to reduce discolouration of the water supply.
Speaking about the maintenance works, Operations Lead with Uisce Éireann, Pat Britton said:
"This is the third round of flushing that we have undertaken in recent months, and it will allow us to further investigate and get a better understanding of the intermittent discolouration issues. At the moment discolouration complaint volumes are low. However, when dealing with an old and vast water network like we have in Cork City, there are always going to be a small number of incidences of discolouration."
The works being carried out may cause a temporary discolouration of the water supply in the area. In the event of discolouration, running the tap for several minutes will usually restore water to a clear colour. Uisce Éireann continues to advise customers not to drink discoloured water.
Ongoing testing and analysis of the water supply continues, in conjunction with extensive monitoring across the city's distribution network. This ensures the water is compliant with drinking water regulations and is safe to drink. The results of these ongoing tests are shared with the EPA and the HSE.
For further information, please visit our Supply and Service Updates section on our website. The Uisce Éireann customer care helpline is open 24/7 and customers can call us on 1800 278 278 and contact us on Twitter @IWCare.
Uisce Éireann is responsible for delivering public drinking water and wastewater services for the people of Ireland. We are committed to enabling communities to thrive by continuously upgrading and developing critical infrastructure to support sustainable growth and development, providing safe drinking water, and enhancing the environment. To find out more visit the Uisce Éireann website.