A Boil Water notice has been issued for the water supply in Fintown.
Irish Water say following advice from the Health Service Executive, Irish Water and Donegal County Council, have issued the notice on the Fintown Public Water Supply and Meenmore – Meenatinney group water scheme to protect consumers.
It follows the detection of cryptosporidium in the treated water coming from the Fintown Water Treatment Plant, and as a result the boil water notice has been put in place to protect the 450 people who are supplied from this plant.
Laurence Nash is Irish Water’s Regional Operations Lead for Donegal……..
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Irish Water notice in full –
June 2 2017 – Following advice from the Health Service Executive, Irish Water and Donegal County Council, have issued a Boil Water Notice on the Fintown Public Water Supply and Meenmore – Meenatinney group water scheme to protect consumers.
A routine water sample has detected cryptosporidium in the treated water coming from the Fintown Water Treatment Plant and as a result the boil water notice has been put in place to protect the 450 people who are supplied from this plant.
Commenting Laurence Nash, Irish Water’s Regional Operations Lead for Donegal said: “Public health is our number one priority and while we investigate the source of this contamination it is imperative that people adhere to the boil water notice. We will be contacting vulnerable customers supplied by this scheme who have self-declared to Irish Water directly by telephone and distributing door to door notifications to all premises in this area. Irish Water and Donegal County Council are liaising with the HSE to lift this notice as quickly as possible and a continuous sampling and testing programme has been put in place.”
Irish Water is currently investing €1.1 million to connect the Fintown water supply to the Glenties supply. As part of these works 5km of water mains in the Glenties, Fintown and Meenahalla areas are being replaced as well as the construction of two booster pumping stations.
Donegal County Council, on behalf of Irish Water, is currently delivering boil water notifications to all customers in the Fintown area and the HSE is also contacting customers with advice.
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.
A map of the scheme will be made available on Irish Water and Donegal County Council’s websites.
Irish Water and Donegal County Council wish to apologise for any inconvenience caused by this announcement.
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