Irish Water says it can end boil water notices — but warns that it will take time

Boil water notices are affecting 5,698 people nationwide this week — 1,893 of them on notices longer than 30 days.

Irish Water has pledged "long-term, sustainable solutions" for thousands of people who have to boil their water but warned that it may be a long and costly process in some cases.

The utility was criticised by the Water Advisory Board (WAB) in its latest quarterly report for the number of people on long-term boil water notices, with the independent body saying it was "a huge frustration and burden for communities”.

The WAB said larger water supplies on long-term boil water notices at the end of the first quarter of this year included Whitegate in east Cork with nearly 9,500 people affected and Gort in Co Galway with nearly 2,800.

Irish Water confirmed that as of this week, some 5,698 people are on boil water notices nationwide on 21 supplies, and of that number, 1,893 are on notices greater than 30 days, involving 16 supplies.

In response to the WAB's report, the firm said: "Irish Water has plans to address the underlying issues and put in place long-term, sustainable solutions to remove the restrictions and prevent any recurrence in the future.

"We understand the disruption and inconvenience a boil water notice causes for customers and always prioritise works to resolve these issues. 

In some instances, this can involve large investment and may require planning, land acquisition and other approvals which can take time. 

"However, we will work with local communities and other agencies to move forward with these solutions as quickly as possible."

Irish Water insisted that it has made "enormous strides in identifying and addressing risks to public drinking water supplies" over the past six years.

"Many of these risks existed for years but only came to light due to the more robust testing and sampling regimes that Irish Water has put in place," the firm said.

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The more robust testing and sampling has actually led to more boil notices in order to protect public health, it added.

"Overall the number of boil water notices — and particularly those on long-term notices (more than 30 days) — has continued to drop significantly," Irish Water said.