Boil water notice lifted in Whitegate after almost 2 years
The most recent in a series of boil water notices going back almost a decade in county Cork has been lifted.
Uisce Éireann confirmed that a boil water notice put in place on 18 October 2023 on the Whitegate Public Water Supply is now lifted.
Issues surrounding the Whitegate Water Treatment Plant date back to 2016 when a boil water notice was issued to 10,000 customers following damage caused by Storm Frank.
The most recent notice was lifted following satisfactory water sampling results and consultation with the HSE.
Uisce Éireann has assured customers in the Whitegate and Macroom areas of county Cork that they can now resume normal use of the public water supply.
Welcoming the news, Social Democrats TD for Cork East, Liam Quaide, said: “It's great that the residents afflicted with this longest running series of boiled water notices nationally finally have some reprieve. The cumulative quality-of-life impact on them over many years has been considerable, not to mention the financial cost of buying so much bottled water.
“The new water treatment plant could not come soon enough,” he added.
The most recent notice was issued in 2023 following increased turbidity and deterioration of the raw water source putting the drinking water disinfection process at the plant at risk of being compromised. In order to lift the boil water notice, Uisce Éireann replaced the pressure vessel and associated works at the Dower Spring abstraction point for the Whitegate supply.
Uisce Éireann’s Operations Manager, Niall O’Riordan, acknowledged the impact of the long-term boil water notice on customers.
“Uisce Éireann’s primary focus remains the protection of public health and we worked with our stakeholders to lift the notice once safe to do so. We acknowledge the frustration felt by the local community and we hope this will provide a welcome reprieve.”
Meanwhile, Uisce Éireann has said progress is continuing on the €22 million upgrade of the Whitegate Water Treatment Plant which will address the risks to water quality and the frequent boil water notices the people of East Cork have experienced over the last number of years.
The works are being carried out by Glanua on behalf of Uisce Éireann and are due for completion in late 2026.
Uisce Éireann has a free text service, providing real-time updates for local issues. Customers can sign up with their Eircode and mobile number at water.ie.