CRU asked to investigate dirty water in Cork as customers complain of damaged appliances

Brown water running from a tap in a house on the northside of Cork City recently.

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) has been asked to investigate Cork’s persistent dirty water problem and defend the rights of consumers who have had to repair or replace damaged domestic appliances like washing machines and showers.

The news comes ahead of a protest this Saturday outside the city offices of Uisce Eireann over the issue which has been ongoing for over 18 months.

Green Party Cllr Oliver Moran said while a complaint about the issue is open with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from an environmental perspective, he has now lodged a formal complaint with the CRU and asked it to investigate the issue from a consumer perspective.

He lodged the complaint after a resident in Ballyvolane contacted him to say they have had to replace their washing machine and repair their electric shower twice because of the brown dirty water problem which is being caused by increased levels of manganese in the domestic water supply.

The manganese occurs within sediment settled inside the city’s network of cast iron mains and can be dislodged or disturbed during works on the network.

Treatment plant

The dirty water issue emerged just weeks after the commissioning of the city’s new €40m water treatment plant on the Lee Road in July 2022, which included a change in the chemical water treatment process and a higher velocity water pumping regime.

The treatment plant is producing clean water but it is arriving at household taps discoloured.

Despite repeated attempts by Uisce Éireann to "flush" the network in affected areas, the problem persists.

The utility appeared before the city council’s Environment, Water and Amenities Strategic Policy Committee in January and insisted that the water is safe to drink once it runs clear, a position repeated by the EPA, but it conceded that discoloured water is not safe to drink.

Questions were also asked about liability for damage to domestic plumbing from the high levels of manganese — a question Uisce Éireann was unable to answer.

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Mr Moran said it was only a matter of time before households began to experience damage to domestic appliances that use water.

“I am therefore requesting the CRU act as regulator in the interest of customers on this matter and begin an investigation and regulatory action,” he said

Meanwhile, householders who have been directly affected by the issue will hand in a letter of protest at the company's office on Saturday requesting a clear plan and timeline for resolving the issue.

“It's not acceptable that people are still having to put up with brown and orange tap water, ruined laundry and the costs of stocking up with bottled water. It's time for action on this issue," People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry said.