Cork’s dreading a brown Christmas
Families on Cork’s northside are worried about whether they will have enough bottled water to see them through Christmas.
That was the sentiment of Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould after he said he received confirmation from Uisce Éireann this week that they will not be providing bottled water despite the CEO admitting on radio that they cannot supply some of Cork with clean, safe water.
“That is scandalous,” said Deputy Gould.
His comments come following an admission by Uisce Éireann chief executive Niall Gleeson on RTÉ Radio on Sunday that it could take at least six months to fix the ongoing water discolouration crisis in Cork city’s northside.
“I cannot understand how a company with the funds and responsibilities of Uisce Éireann cannot guarantee clean safe water for my constituents,” added Deputy Gould.
In the water service’s most recent update, a spokesperson said: “Public health remains our top priority.
“We want to reiterate that water is safe to drink once it is running clear,” the Uisce Éireann spokesperson said.
“Uisce Éireann is continuing to prioritise the response to water discolouration for affected customers in Cork city. To protect public health, Uisce Éireann is undertaking extensive sampling, including testing at customers’ taps, on the network and operational sampling at the water treatment plant. The HSE has also been consulted for their health advice during periods of increased discolouration reports.”
Meanwhile, a Cork soil expert has said that pathogens entering the water supply on Cork city’s northside could pose a health risk.
Dr Tim Sullivan, environmental scientist at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Science at UCC, said that soil could be getting into Cork’s ageing water pipes.
“Obviously it’s not good when somebody opens the tap in the morning and it comes out brown and discoloured,” Dr Sullivan told the Cork Independent.
“Depending on how much is getting in, treatments may not be able to handle it. That wasn’t the way it was intended to come out of the tap, and it wasn’t the way it left the water treatment plant, I would imagine,” he added.
Dr Sullivan also said there may be possibility of cross contamination from nearby pipes carrying other materials.
However, he said the cause of discolouration may not necessarily be originating from outside the pipes.
“If you have old cast iron piping, there’s an element of corrosion there in systems that have been in place for quite some time,” he explained.
There was some reassurance from Dr Sullivan regarding concerns around whether or not clear water will be safe to drink in affected areas.
“Given the fact that it’s a public supply that has been through the treatment process; if it’s coming out clear, I’d be pretty confident that it’s okay, but that’s not a guarantee,” he said.