Upgrade works have been carried out on a North Kerry treatment plant, which serves an area that's been under a boil water notice for four weeks.
The notice for the Ardfert North (Ballyheigue) Public Water Supply was put in place on October 11th due to the detection of cryptosporidium in the public water supply.
Irish Water says 3,500 people are impacted by this boil water notice, which remains in place.
This notice affects those supplied by Ardfert North (Ballyheigue) Public Water Supply serving Ballyheigue, Causeway, Ballinglanna, Kerry Head west of the Feanes road, Lerrig and surrounding areas.
Irish Water had been working on installing a new UV treatment for cryptosporidium in recent months.
Irish Water's Asset Operations Lead Ian O'Mahony says they've completed the required upgrades at the treatment plant and are now moving through commissioning tests on the newly installed equipment.
Mr O'Mahony says the national utility is aware of how this notice is affecting everyone and apologises to those impacted.
Experts from Irish Water and Kerry County Council say they're working to lift the notice as quickly and as safely as possible; in the meantime, all customers on this supply are advised to continue to boil their water before use until further notice.
Ian O'Mahony says they will continue to monitor the supply and hope to be in a position to provide a further update next week.
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 will be available on our Water Supply Updates section on water.ie, on Twitter @IWCare and via our customer care helpline, open 24/7 on 1800 278 278. Further information in relation to the Boil Water Notice is available from https://www.water.ie/water-supply/water-quality/boil-water-notice/.
