Work on-going to restore normal water supply to areas of Cork City

3rd October 2022

Last month, Irish Water and Cork City Council became aware of an increase in reports of discoloured water in some areas of Cork City.

Investigations were carried out at the time in the affected areas to identify the source of these water issues and remedial actions were carried out. The investigations found that following a recent upgrade of infrastructure in Cork City, where a number of new treatment systems are being brought online, that water being produced was impacting on some of the older pipes in the network, thus causing sediment to come loose and cause a discolouration of the water being supplied to customers. Irish Water is actively working to adapt the process to ensure that the sediment does not break down and cause the discolouration.

The issue is being continuously monitored, however, approximately two weeks ago, there was an increase in reports of discoloration in the network. Further remedial work and alterations were carried out on Friday, 16th of September and this has already shown an improvement to the water supply. Some customers may still experience discolouration periodically but we anticipate this improvement to continue over the coming days as the changes embed in the network.

Water leaving Irish Water’s treatment plants is continuously tested to ensure it meets all drinking water standards. Water is also regularly tested at customer delivery points to ensure the highest standards are met.

If water from your kitchen tap looks orange or brown, Irish Water and Cork City Council recommend running the kitchen tap for a few minutes to see if the water returns to a clear colour. If the water does not run clear, contact Irish Water Customer Care Team 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and it will be investigated. Do not drink discoloured water.

Irish Water are actively making interventions to resolve issues as they arise and would encourage customers to continue to report issues with drinking water. Irish Water would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused as we progress with upgrades to the water supply in Cork.