Nov 09
21
Cork City Water Supply UPDATE
www.brianclayton.ie
Update: Sat 21 Nov 20:00
Following an emergency City Council meeting convened this afternoon at 4pm, the following information has been made available to me.
Areas supplied by Lee Road Waterworks continue to experience supply disruption. Cork City Council Engineers have been working on the network to maximise delivery and have succeeded in stabilising supply to the Central Island and lower Blackpool, enabling businesses and shops to continue trading in these areas.
When water was released from the Inniscarra dam, over eight hundred tonnes of water was being pumped per second from the dam. Currently levels have been reduced to two hundred and fifty tonnes per second.
The Treatment plant at Lee Water works, were under 3 – 4 metres of water, levels which have never before been experienced or for that matter envisaged.
A number of people around the Marsh area of the City and on the North side of the City had to be evacuated, either because they were marooned or in serious danger of being so. These people have been housed in hotels around the City.
The Quay wall at both Grenville Place and on Sundays Well was breached. Works continued through last night (Friday night / Saturday morning) to stablise the both the quay wall and the roadway at Grenville Place. Similar works will be carried out tonight at the breach on the Sunday’s Well side.
As of yet engineers have still not been able to gain access to all the damaged valves at the Lee Water Works, owing to the large amount of flood water still at the site, and as a result we have no realistic idea of when the City’s water supply will be restored. Once access can be made to the pumps, they will need to be dismantled and dried out and reassembled.
I would urge everybody to be conscious of your elderly neighbours at this time, and others in your area who may not be able to get to the Emergency Water Depots
Caution: Householders in affected areas should exercise caution in the use of heating systems and electrical appliances e.g. washing machines, dish washers and electrical showers.
Emergency Water Supplies
In addition to the water supplies already available though out the City, additional water points will be added over the coming days.
People are asked to bring their own containers and if you are unsure that your container is clean, the water should be boiled before use.
Sandbags.
Sandbags are available from T & A builders providers in Blackpool (T: 021 4508539)
Schools
Most schools in affected areas have confirmed their closure for the duration of the emergency. Parents should contact their individual school directly.
Public Health & Sanitation
The HSE has issued public health information and advice in the following areas:
Toilet flushing
If there is no water for flushing toilets, it is important that all water used for washing, bathing, and from cooking (i.e. water from boiled vegetables) or washing up is saved in buckets to be used for flushing. It is not necessary to flush the toilet after urination. Other sources of recycled water can also be used for flushing e.g. rain water.
Handwashing
People should ensure that they wash hands frequently – if no tap water is available, then use water from City Council tankers, hand wipes, sanitizers, etc.
Bathing infants
If tap water is not available for bathing infants, boiled and cooled tanker water or bottled water are safe alternatives. A safe alternative to bathing is to use baby wipes for hand cleansing and washing infants.
Baby food
In preparing formula feeds for infants / babies, ideally use water from a water tanker or bottled water, brought to a ‘rolling’ boil and left covered to cool for no more than half an hour, then follow the manufacturer’s instructions on making up the feed. The use of unboiled tanker water should be avoided. Use cooled boiled water or bottled water for cooling the feed once it has been made up. Ready-to-feed liquid formula could be used instead. If you buy your own bottled water, be aware that some natural mineral water may have high sodium content. Look at the label for sodium or `Na’ and check its level is not higher than 200mg a litre. If it is, then try to use different water. If no other water is available, then use this water for as short a time as possible. It is important to keep babies hydrated.
Boiling water
Containers – ensure that containers for water carrying and / or storage are clean.
If the quality of the container cannot be guaranteed, it may be advisable to boil water before use – this will be for drinking and food preparation. All water for these purposes should be brought to a boil and then allowed to cool before using. Only water which has been boiled or bottled water should be used for brushing teeth, washing food, cooking and making ice.
Remember that boiling water can carry a risk of scalding accidents. It is advisable to use a kettle rather than pots and pans. If you must use open containers such as pots and pans, then special care should be taken when young children or vulnerable people are involved. Keep panhandles turned inwards when boiling water in pans so that children cannot reach them.
Food washing
It is advisable to boil water before use for drinking and food preparation purposes.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me at any stage for further information, or indeed if you or your neightbours find yourselves in any difficulty, mobile number 086 0829371
