Uisce Éireann to flush more pipes on Cork's northside to combat discoloured water issue

Brown water running in a house in Ballyvolane earlier this year. Uisce Éireann said they are trying to minimise the instances of water discolouration in targeted areas across the city where reports of discolouration have been received.

Uisce Éireann has announced another round of targeted water pipe flushing on Cork’s northside as it continues to try to resolve the city’s discoloured water issue.

The next set of intensive flushing works will take place in The Glen area starting on Thursday, with planned flushing set to take place over the coming weeks in Glen Avenue, Mangerton Close, Avoca Crescent, Comeragh Park, Brandon Crescent, Glen View Park, Mourne Avenue and Errigal Heights.

The work is being done at nighttime during off-peak usage hours, typically starting after 8pm until 4am.

The flushing programme involves isolating and flushing small sections of the water network to clear any build-up of sediment from the old cast iron pipes. Isolating the flushing area from the larger network minimises disruption and improves sediment removal, the utility said.

Clearing the pipes can result in sediment carrying through to customers’ taps, resulting in increased instances of discoloured water in the short term. But it’s hoped that the water will return to normal before the morning demand starts.

Uisce Éireann’s water operations lead, Sean Lynch, said they are trying to minimise the instances of water discolouration in targeted areas across the city where reports of discolouration have been received.

“Areas are prioritised based on customer feedback and reports directly to our customer care team. It is anticipated that this programme of works will take approximately six weeks," he said.

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The first round of flushing will start around at 8pm on Thursday and as the works progress through the area, signage will be put in place.

Uisce Éireann has again thanked customers for their patience as its continues to work to reduce instances of discolouration across the city, which first began almost two years ago.

In the event of discolouration, people have been advised to run their taps for up to 20 minutes until the water runs clear. The water is safe to drink once running clear.

Customers can get updates on the Uisce Eireann website, water.ie.