Drinking Water Boil Notice Issue In County Limerick

Limerick County Council, following consultation with the Health Service Executive, has this evening issued a boil water notice to 2,000 customers served by the Public Water Supply in Adare Town.

700 households are affected by the public water notice in areas including Adare, Tuogh, Kilknockan, Curraghbeg, Copay, Blackabbey, Gortaganniff, Graigue, Drehidtarsna, Boulabally, Beabus, Baurnalicka, Derryvinnane, Castleroberts, Lissaleen, Cloonaduff, Kilgobbin, Mondellihy, Rineroe, Knockanes and Caherass.

Mr. Donal Brennan, Senior Engineer, Water Services, confirmed that Limerick County Council has detected a deterioration in the water quality leaving the Water Treatment Plant in Adare. He explained, “The treatment efficiency of the plant has been reduced and while no adverse bacteriological samples have been detected there is an increased possibility of bacteria getting through the system. Therefore, it is necessary to issue a general boil water notice on the supply” “The reduced treatment efficiency has caused excess aluminium concentrations in the delivered water and vulnerable users such as those persons with poor kidney function, renal failure and, in particular, those on renal dialysis are advised not to drink the water, but to source alternative supplies,” he added.

Limerick County Council wishes to advise all other members of the public served by the Adare Water Supply not to drink the water except under the following conditions and for the following purposes:
- Water for drinking purposes, brushing teeth and food preparation should be boiled
- Boil the water to ensure a rolling vigorous boil and then allow it to cool. Cover it and store it in a fridge or cold place. (Tea or coffee made with water which has boiled is safe to drink)
- Water from the hot tap is not safe to drink. Domestic filters will not guarantee that water is safe to drink. Discard ice cubes in fridges and freezers
- Use water that has been prepared for drinking (i.e. that is boiled) for preparing foods that will not be cooked, e.g. for washing salads
- It is safe to drink commercial bottled mineral water.

Prepare baby feeds with water that has been brought to the boil once and cooled. Do not use water that has been reboiled several times. If tap water is unavailable, use bottled water that has been brought to the boil and cooled. Avoid using water that is fizzy, unless boiling has removed all the fizziness. Check the label: water in bottles labelled “natural mineral water” is not required to meet all the standards of tap waters. Don’t use natural mineral water with concentrations greater than the following for infant feeding: sodium –200mg/l; Nitrate –50mg/l; Nitrite –0.5mg/l; Sulphate –250mg/l. Water maybe used for flushing of toilets, internal house plumbing and for personal hygiene and bathing. Vulnerable users, those persons with poor kidney function, renal failure and particularly those on renal dialysis are advised to source alternative drinking water until further advised.

Members of the public are requested to advise the County Council of elderly or disabled residents, who may require special assistance. The Council has also asked for information on unoccupied residences and how the occupier or owner maybe contacted. Further information and advice is available from the following phone numbers: (061) 496326 (9.30am–4.30pm Monday-Friday) or 087-6295167 (after hours up to 11pm) or (061) 419226 (outside these hours)

Limerick Is Dreaming Of A Green Christmas

The Mayor of Limerick, Cllr John Gilligan and The Cathaoirleach of Limerick County Council, Cllr John Gallahue got together at Arthur’s Quay Shopping Centre to ask the citizens of Limerick city and county to spare a thought for the environment this Christmas (DG) Picture by Dave Gaynor

This Christmas season, Limerick shoppers will use 800 thousand metres of wrapping paper, enough to travel up and down the county more than 12 times.

That is according to Limerick City and County Councils, who today launched their annual Green Christmas campaign to urge householders to spare a thought for the environment this year while enjoying all the seasonal festivities. Pre-Christmas tips include sending e-cards to cut down on packaging, wrapping presents with recycled paper, turning Christmas lights off overnight and pooling Christmas shopping into fewer bags.

Shoppers are also encouraged to support local and fair trade producers. After Christmas, householders are advised to recycle all packaging, and take empty bottles and tins to one of Limerick’s many bring banks. “We all produce extra waste over Christmas so it is a perfect time to focus that bit more on all that unnecessary waste,” explained Lorraine Power, Environmental Awareness Officer, Limerick County Council. She added, “There are many ways to keep the festive season fun while reducing the negative social, economic and environmental impacts. We are urging people to reduce, reuse, recycle and compost to help us make a difference this Christmas.”

Sinead McDonnell, Environment Awareness Officer with Limerick City Council said that one of the main objectives of this year’s campaign is to encourage householders to recycle more of their used packaging than ever before. She continued, “We will all be busy rushing around doing the shopping and stocking up on food and drink over the next few weeks. By sparing a thought for our planet and taking a little time to plan ahead, we can slim our bins, save time and perhaps a few euro too.”

Top Ten Tips to Reduce Your Waste this Christmas:
1. Make a list and check it twice! Buy only what you need!
2. Cool cards – Send an e card, make your own unique one that won’t be forgotten!
3. Simple, stylish presents - Buy an eco-gift, voucher or charity gift to avoid unwanted gifts that will only end up as clutter. Shop local and/or look out for fair-trade gifts. If you’re broke, make a gift of your time!
4. Get Christmas wrapped up - Try alternative wrapping by buying recycled paper or making your own.
5. Do durable - Use reusable plates, cups and bags rather than throw away items. Buy loose vegetables, fruit, meat and cheese.
6. REUSE – give another life to all those nice gift bags and boxes you received during the year and make your gifts look even more impressive! Set up a REUSE box. Keep things like biscuit tins, boxes and ribbon that you can reuse during the year. Keep your favourite cards to make your funky personalised gift cards next year or to keep the kids busy on those wet winter evenings.
7. Start composting all those fruit and vegetable peelings, reduce your bin by one third! Compost bins available from Councils or local hardware stores.
8. Save your Energy - Invest in LED Christmas lights and battery chargers with rechargeable batteries for all those games. It will save you money in the long run. Recycle any used batteries at your local Recycling Centre or any retail outlet that sells batteries.
9. Get organised in the kitchen! Set up three bins in the kitchen - for recyclables, compostable and general waste.
10. During the party season - Recycle everything you can in your opti-bag or recycling bin - cardboard, gift wrap, greetings cards & envelopes, paper & plastic packaging, drink & food cans, biscuit tins, metal lids, juice cartons, plastic bottles & packaging. Remember to wash n’ squash!