Good news for 8,247 south Longford people as boil water notice lifted after almost a fortnight

Following consultation with the Health Service Executive, Irish Water and Longford County Council has this evening announced that the Boil Water Notice (BWN) for the area supplied by the Ballymahon Public Water Supply, affecting approximately 8,247 people, has now been lifted following drinking water quality testing and upgrade works at Abbeyshrule Water Treatment Plant.

The Boil Water Notice was put in place last Wednesday week, April 17 due to the failure of an alarm alerting that there was an increased level of turbidity in the water at the Abbeyshrule Water Treatment Plant.

Also read: South Longford residents at boiling point as boil water notice remains in place until further notice

Turbidity is an increased level of cloudiness and could indicate issues with water quality and as such the BWN was put on as a precautionary measure. The issue with the alarm has now been fixed and ongoing testing of the water since the BWN was put in place show that the water is now safe to drink.

Irish Water drinking water compliance and operational experts worked with colleagues in Longford County Council to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.

Commenting on the lifting of the Boil Water Notice, John O’Donoghue, Irish Water Assets Operations Manager for the East and Midlands said, "Irish Water is aware of the impact and inconvenience caused by this Boil Water Notice to homes and businesses in the Ballymahon area. We wish to thank the community in Ballymahon for their ongoing patience and cooperation while this issue was resolved. Irish Water’s priority is the provision of safe, clean drinking water and safeguarding that water supply for the future is a vital focus."