Cork home owners ‘should be compensated for boil water notice’

It will be another two years before Uisce Éireann implements a €22 million water replacement program that will enable the boil water order to be lifted.

Those affected live in Aghada, Churchtown, Ballycotton, Saleen, Shanagarry, Ballinacurra, Castleredmond in Midleton and parts of Cloyne. Hosts in these areas must use bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth and preparing food, and baby bottles.

Cork County Council officials are to write to the Minister for Public Expenditure, Paschal Donohoe, and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, asking for financial compensation to be provided to residents affected by the prolonged notices.

In addition, officials will also ask both ministers to provide residents with tankers to refill clean water until the new treatment plant, which is currently under construction, is operational.

This motion was proposed at a meeting of East Cork Borough Council by Social Democrat councilor Liam Quaide.

“The prolonged series of boil water notices in Whitegate waterworks has, over time, become a serious issue affecting quality of life and a chronic nuisance for affected residents. As far as I know, this is the longest boiled water notice in the country,” Quaide said.

Although residents are aware that there is a final solution to the problem, two years have passed, he added.

“In the meantime, they will continue to face enormous, ongoing problems and inconvenience. “I have spoken to residents with large families who incur very significant, cumulative financial costs every week by purchasing large volumes of water,” he said.

‘Frustration’

According to Quaide, there is “widespread dissatisfaction and frustration” among residents over how long boil water notices have been in place and the lack of any compensatory measures from Uisce Éireann.

Councilors have previously appealed to the utility company to provide some level of financial assistance to affected residents, but Uisce Éireann refused.

“It was not expected at this stage that the boiled water markings then placed on site would remain in place continuously for such a long period of time.

“I think we should make this request again – this time to the relevant ministries, because currently we are most likely dealing with continuous notification until the construction of the new plant is completed,” Quaide said.

Fine Gael councilor Rory Cocking said he was happy to lend his support as the case had taken too long.

“This has had a very costly impact on thousands of households,” added Fianna Fáil councilor Ann Marie Ahern.