Dedicated Uisce Éireann taskforce to tackle Cork City's water quality

The company has previously said that an investment of some €500m over several years would be needed to replace century-old pipes

Uisce Éireann said issues such as discolouration can occur when dealing with an aged network such as that in Cork City.

A dedicated taskforce has been established by Uisce Éireann in Cork to improve the city's water quality amid ongoing complaints about discolouration in its domestic water supply.

It comes just days after Green Party city councillor, Oliver Moran, asked the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) to investigate the problem which has persisted for over 18 months, and ahead of a protest on Saturday outside the utility's Cork City office by some of those whose domestic appliances have been damaged or destroyed by the excess manganese in their water.

In a lengthy statement on Friday, the utility acknowledged again that water services in the city are not meeting the standards that customers rightly expect, and it said it continues to treat the matter with “the utmost urgency”, including following up with proactive callbacks to customers who have lodged complaints.

But it said while the ongoing issues are having a significant impact on affected communities, it still provides “high-quality, clean and safe drinking water” to over 125,000 people in the city every day.

“And based on 2023 reports to our call centre, it is estimated that discolouration affects just over 1% of customers,” it said in a statement on Friday.

It said issues such as discolouration can occur when dealing with an aged network such as that in Cork City, where between 50%-60% of its 600km of watermains is made from cast iron and is almost a century old.

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The company has previously said that an investment of some €500m over several years would be needed to replace these pipes.

Brian O’Leary, Uisce Éireann’s regional operations manager for the South West, said the water is safe to drink once it is running clear.

“We continue to advise not to drink discoloured water. In the event of discolouration, running the tap for several minutes — we recommend up to 20 minutes — will usually restore water to a clear colour.

“The water is safe to drink once running clear. If the issue remains unresolved, we encourage customers to contact us directly."

Uisce Éireann’s customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278.