Locals ‘relieved’ as boil water notice lifted in Killavullen

After 24 days, the boil water notice issued to customers on the Killavullen Public Water Supply was finally lifted.

Irish Water and Cork County Council notified customers that following the completion of remedial measures and the receipt of satisfactory monitoring results, the boil water notice was lifted with immediate effect on Thursday last. Marion Regan, chairperson of Killavullen Community Council, said it was ‘fantastic’ that the notice had been lifted, however, noted that no supports were put in place for the affected locals during this period. “There was nothing in place. Somebody posted it in a Facebook group and other than that, people wouldn’t have even known about the boil water notice,” she said. Many locals resorted to buying bottled water for the duration, as Marion added that this was the first time in many years that Killavullen was affected by water supply issues. “This is the first time in years and years that we have had something like this,” Marion added. According to local councillor Frank O’Flynn, there was much relief last Thursday. “The boil water notice was in place for quite some time and there was a lot of frustration amongst families, especially those with young children. It was even more frustrating that they received no update on it. I’m happy that the boil water notice has now been removed from Killavullen and the surrounding area,” the Glanworth councillor said.

PUBLIC HEALTH A PRIORITY

Affecting approximately 810 people in the area, the notice was issued on February 28 following consultation with the Health Service Executive. At the time, Irish Water stated that the notice was put in place due to the high levels of turbidity (relative measure of water clarity) in the borehole supply, causing Killavullen Water Treatment Plant to shut down. With the notice now lifted, all consumers on this supply can now resume normal use of water for drinking, food preparation and brushing teeth. “Irish Water and the Local Authority/Health Service Executive Water Liaison Group will continue to meet and will review ongoing process control, monitoring and testing of the drinking water supply,” a recent statement from Irish Water read. Irish Water’s Pat Britton thanked the community of Killavullen for their patience. “We would like to thank the community of Killavullen for their patience as we worked with our colleagues in Cork County Council to lift this notice as soon as possible. Public health is our number one priority, therefore, the notice was only lifted once it was safe to do so and in consultation with the HSE,” he said. “Irish Water and Cork County Council acknowledge the patience, cooperation and assistance of the general public during the period of the boil water notice and greatly regrets any inconvenience caused to householders and the business community,” a statement from Irish Water and Cork County Council also noted.