Drinking Water Boil Notice Issue In Montpelier/O’Briensbridge/Bridgetown

Limerick County Council and Clare County Council confirmed this evening, following consultation with the Health Service Executive, that a precautionary boil notice has been put in place in Montpelier, O’Briensbridge and Bridgetown.

The notice, which affects approximately 500 individuals, was issued after Limerick County Council’s Water Services section detected a deterioration in water quality in the Montpelier Water Supply Scheme, which serves all three villages.

The Councils are advising members of the public served by the Scheme 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.

Some Evacuated Clare Families To Return Home

20 South East Clare families evacuated during recent flooding along the Lower River Shannon have been informed that they may return to their homes.

Clare County Council and the HSE today met with the families who are residents of the Hampstead Park and Riverbrook Lawn estates in Shannon Banks.

Mary Halpin, General Manager with the HSE said: “We have met with the families involved and assured them in relation to their dwellings and offered general advice in relation to any issues that may require to be addressed. All families are delighted to be able to return to their homes and the HSE will continue to offer whatever support it can to families that have been displaced as a result of the flooding.”

Ger Dollard, Director of Services, Clare County Council said: “The HSE and Council have no objection to people returning to their homes. The 20 houses in question have not been affected by flooding while the construction of a 310-metre long earthen embankment along the river bank has greatly reduced any risk of flooding taking place in the area in question.”

Ennis Town Council has confirmed that two families evacuated in Ennis also have returned to their homes, while a further two families are preparing to return home. An additional seven families have been provided private rented accommodation.

According to Mr. Dollard: “23 families who are tenants of the Council were evacuated during recent serious flooding in the Clare County capital. 21 families were initially provided with emergency accommodation while two families secured alternative accommodation with relatives. 18 families remain in emergency accommodation while efforts continue, in conjunction with local Estate Agents, to secure additional private rented accommodation.”

Mr. Dollard confirmed that an additional 15 private households from flood-affected areas of Ennis had also requested emergency accommodation during the last two weeks. Five of these households remain in emergency accommodation, while the remainder have either returned home or have secured private rented accommodation.

“The Council has hired 14 dehumidifiers, which have been installed in the homes that have been least damaged by flood waters. We expect that 10 houses will be fit for occupation by mid-December and up to five additional properties will be ready before Christmas”, concluded Mr. Dollard.

Elsewhere around the County, 12 families evacuated in Clonlara (8) and the North Clare areas of Tubber and Carron (4) have yet to return to their homes and remain in alternative accommodation. The Council and the HSE are in regular contact with all families evacuated during the unprecedented recent flooding of many parts of County Clare.

Meanwhile, Clare County Council has repeated its flood risk warning for all parts of the County despite reporting a drop in water levels in recent days. Heavy rain coupled with high tides (peaking from Wednesday to Saturday this week) is expected to lead to an increase in water levels, resulting in a flood warning being maintained for all areas, particularly those affected by recent flooding.

The Council said that the Crisis Management Centre would once again become fully operational within a half hour should conditions deteriorate significantly over the coming days. In the interim, an out of hours emergency number (087-4169496) has been set up by Clare County Council.

Clare Crisis Management Centre Receives Over 900 Calls

The Clare Crisis Management Centre confirmed this evening that it received in excess of 900 phone calls to its 24-hour emergency helpline during its period of operation from Thursday 19th to Friday 27th November.

Members of the public affected by flooding in County Clare made 913 calls which related to requests for assistance, as well as flood reports and advice. The Council response to serious flooding during this period involved approximately 150 indoor and 450 outdoor staff throughout the County.

Meanwhile, Clare County Council has repeated its flood risk warning for all parts of the County despite reporting a slight drop in water levels in recent days.

Heavy rain coupled with high tides, peaking from Wednesday to Saturday this week, is expected to result in an increase in water levels, resulting in areas previously affected by flooding being issued with a severe flood alert. The Council said that the Crisis Management Centre would once again become fully operational within a half hour should conditions deteriorate significantly over the coming days.

In the interim, an out of hours emergency number (087-4169496) has been set up by Clare County Council.