A Boil Water Notice for 2,800 homes in the Gort area remains in place a month and half after it was first issued.
Irish Water said that they are still awaiting replacement equipment for a damaged filter at the treatment plant, with the entire mechanism to be replaces.
The boil water notice for homes and business on the Gort Public Water Supply was first issued on February 2 following a breakdown at the plant.
Rónan Daly, Irish Water’s Asset Operations Lead, apologised for the impact this has had on people living in the area.
“We in Irish Water completely understand the community’s frustration and can ensure everyone that we are working tirelessly to resolve the issues affecting the plant, both in the short and long term, and to lift the boil water notice as early as it is safe to do so.”
“We have carried out an assessment of the damaged filter and are currently awaiting replacement equipment through a specialist contractor as part of a re-design of the filter system at the treatment plant.”
“The entire filtering mechanism in the failed filter will be replaced, which includes the replacement of all pipework, nozzles and gravel/sand filters.”
“To reduce the risk of this problem re-occurring, the mechanism will also be replaced in the second filter unit.”
Another Boil Water Notice for 350 homes in the Eyrecourt area issued just under four weeks ago is also still in force.
This was issued on February 25 in response to low levels of chlorine detected in part of the Ballinasloe Public Water Supply.
Ongoing efforts to address this include flushing pipes in the area, and an automated flushing valve is to be installed on the network.
Water must be boiled for drinking, drinks made with water, preparation of food not cooked prior to eating, brushing teeth, or making ice.
However, the water supply is still suitable for hygiene purposes, such as showering and hand-washing.
