Overnight restrictions necessary in North Westmeath following impact of Storm Bert
Alternative water supplies remain in place
Information below is relevant until further updates are provided here or on our Supply and Service Updates section.
Uisce Éireann wishes to advise customers supplied by the Ballany Water Treatment Plant in North Westmeath that water production remains intermittently affected following the impact of Storm Bert.
As reservoirs remain at critically low levels, it will be necessary to implement water conservation measures overnight to allow local reservoirs to recover and maintain daytime supply.
The nighttime restriction will be in place from 8pm tonight, Tuesday, 26 November, until 7am, to allow local reservoir levels recharge.
Customers in Castlepollard, Delvin, Whitehall, Fore, Collinstown, Glenidan, Hilltown, Clonnageeragh, Sallymount, Coole, Brownstown, Clonmellon and the surrounding areas may experience outages or reduced pressure and/or discolouration.
Homes and businesses are being asked to be mindful of their water usage during the daytime and conserve water to allow supply to catch up with demand. Customers can find useful water saving tips on our Conservation page.
We are also appealing to customers to check for leaks in the home and carry out necessary leak repairs and asking farmers to check their service pipes, drinking troughs and outbuildings. Customers are urged to report loss of service or visible leaks to assist Uisce Éireann to identify bursts.
Uisce Éireann’s Alan Farrell again thanked customers for their patience during the restrictions and especially for their efforts to conserve water.
“We understand how disruptive these ongoing outages are and we regret the inconvenience caused. Crews are continuing to work to restore normal water supply across North Westmeath”.
Following return of supply, it typically takes two to three hours for normal supply to fully be restored to all areas as the water refills the network, especially for those on higher ground or at the end of the network.
The Uisce Éireann customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on X @IWCare with any queries.
Uisce Éireann has launched a free text service, providing real-time updates for local issues. Customers can sign up with their Eircode and mobile number at our Water Service Updates page.
Previous Updates
Uisce Éireann, is continuing to work to restore normal operations at the Ballany Water Treatment Plant, which has been impacted by production capacity issues following Storm Bert. The plant was back up and running yesterday. However, there have been ongoing operational issues impacting full production through the night. Although water supply has returned to most areas impacted reservoirs which serve a population of almost 10,000 people across North Westmeath remain critically low.
Uisce Éireann urges communities across Castlepollard, Delvin, Whitehall, Fore, Collinstown, Glenidan, Hilltown, Clonnageeragh, Sallymount, Coole and surrounding areas to conserve supply at this time as crews continue to manage ongoing operational issues at the Ballany Water Treatment Plant.
Alternative Water Supplies in the form of bulk containers and tankers have been deployed across North Westmeath in the following locations:
- Coole Hall carpark
- Fore Abbey carpark
- Castlepollard square
- Delvin
- Collinstown, outside Maypole Pub
- Clonmellon, Killallon Road junction
Customers are reminded to use their own containers when taking water from tankers and to boil water before consumption as a precautionary measure.
Alan Farrell, Water Operations Lead with Uisce Éireann said, “Uisce Éireann is working hard to address operational issues at the Ballany Water Treatment Plant following Strom Bert which has impacted supply for local communities in North Westmeath in recent days. Our priority is the provision of clean safe drinking water to communities and the safety of water services staff who work to make that happen. We understand how disruptive unplanned outages are and we regret the inconvenience caused. We are working hard to restore normal supply across North Westmeath”.
Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann receive direct communications from us for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours. The Uisce Éireann customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For updates, please see the Water Supply updates section.
Uisce Éireann, is continuing to work to restore normal operations at the Ballany Water Treatment Plant, which has been impacted by production capacity issues due to poor raw water quality following Storm Bert. The plant is back up to full production. However, reservoirs which serve a population of almost 10,000 people across North Westmeath are empty and are currently refilling.
Communities across Castlepollard, Delvin, Whitehall and surrounding areas will see their supply returning this morning. Following return of supply, it typically takes two to three hours for normal supply to fully be restored to all areas as the water refills the network, especially for those on higher ground or at the end of the network. However, as the reservoir was empty this could take longer. Uisce Éireann urges customers to conserve supply as it returns to allow the storage reserves replenish.
Communities across Fore, Collinstown, Glenidan, Hilltown, Clonnageeragh, Sallymount and Coole are still being impacted by an unplanned interruption to supply. The reservoir serving this area is also refilling. However, water services crews are continuing to monitor the quality of supply ahead of supply restoration. It is expected that the network will begin to refill later this afternoon. Similarly, Uisce Éireann urges customers to conserve supply as it returns to allow the storage reserves replenish.
Alternative Water Supplies in the form of bulk containers and tankers have been deployed across North Westmeath in the following locations:
• Coole
• Fore Abbey Carpark
• Castlepollard Square
• Delvin
• Collinstown
• Clonmellon
Customers are reminded to use their own containers when taking water from tankers and to boil water before consumption as a precautionary measure.
Alan Farrell, Water Operations Lead with Uisce Éireann said, “Uisce Éireann is working hard to address supply interruptions being experienced by some customers supplied by the Ballany Water Treatment Plant as a result of the impacts of Storm Bert. Our priority is the provision of clean safe drinking water to communities and the safety of water services staff who work to make that happen. We understand how disruptive unplanned outages are and we regret the inconvenience caused. We are working hard to restore normal supply across North Westmeath”.
Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann receive direct communications from us for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours. The Uisce Éireann customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For updates, please see the Water Supply updates section.
Uisce Éireann, is working to restore normal operations at the Ballany Water Treatment Plant, which has been impacted by production capacity issues due to poor raw water quality following Storm Bert. This has resulted in reservoirs reaching critical levels.
The Ballany Water Treatment Plant supplies drinking water to the communities of Fore, Collinstown, Glenidan, Hilltown, Clonnageeragh, Sallymount, Coole, Drumcree, Castlepollard, Delvin, Whitehall and surrounding areas of County Westmeath.
Expert water services crews were dispatched earlier today and are still onsite to investigate the issue and restore operations as quickly as possible. However, this is dependent on improvements to the raw water quality.
Local communities supplied by this plant have not been impacted. However, reservoirs in the area are now depleting meaning customers in these areas may be impacted by low water pressure and an interruption to the water supply later this evening.
Alan Farrell, Water Operations Lead with Uisce Éireann said, “Customers in Fore, Collinstown, Glenidan, Hilltown, Clonnageeragh, Sallymount, Coole, Drumcree, Castlepollard, Delvin, Whitehall and surrounding areas may be impacted by reduced water pressure and water outages. We understand how disruptive unplanned outages are and we regret the inconvenience caused. We are working hard to restore normal supply. However, it is dependent on weather conditions through the night”.
As per best practice, most homes and businesses will have on-site water storage to provide a backup source of water for sanitation purposes. Following return of supply, it typically takes two to three hours for normal supply to fully be restored to all areas as the water refills the network, especially for those on higher ground or at the end of the network.
Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann receive direct communications from us for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours. The Uisce Éireann customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For updates, please see the Water Supply updates section.
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