Cork City's dirty water problem: Council hears baby got rash after bath in 'rusty sludge'

Members of the council have backed calls for the abolition of Uisce Éireann after a lengthy debate on the city’s ongoing dirty water problem

Brown water on the northside of Cork City. Uisce Éireann blamed a chemical treatment regime for the initial problems, and more recently, blamed a change in the pumping regime for dislodging deposits in the pipes.

Members of Cork City Council have backed calls for the abolition of Uisce Éireann after a lengthy debate on the city’s ongoing dirty water problem heard how a baby got a rash after being bathed in “rusty sludge”.

There was widespread criticism of the utility at the council’s January meeting on Monday for its failure to fully resolve the discolouration problems which have been affecting the city’s domestic water supply since the commissioning of the city’s new multi-million water treatment plant on the Lee Road in July 2022.