originally posted on July 8, 2016

A boil water notice has been issued for areas of Galmoy in Kilkenny.

Irish Water and Kilkenny County Council say they’ve been advised by the HSE to put the notice in place for the Galmoy Replacement Water Supply Scheme and Galmoy Group Water Scheme.

They say the water there could be contaminated and are doing investigations to see if thats the case.

It includes users who’re living in Laois who are on the scheme.

Here’s some advice from the council….

Water must be boiled for:
– Drinking
– Drinks made with water
– Preparation of salads and similar foods, which are not cooked prior to eating
– Brushing of teeth
– Making of ice

• Water can be used for personal hygiene, bathing and flushing of toilets but not for brushing teeth or gargling.

•Boil water by bringing to a vigorous, rolling boil and allow to cool. Cover and store in a refrigerator or cold place. Water from the hot tap is not safe to drink.

• Domestic water filters will not render water safe to drink.

• Caution should be taken when bathing children to ensure that they do not swallow the bathing water.

• Discard ice cubes in fridges and freezers and filtered water in fridges. Make ice from cooled boiled water.

• Use water prepared for drinking when preparing foods that will not be cooked (e.g. washing salads).

• Prepare infant feeds with tap water that has been brought to the boil once and cooled. Do not use water that has been reboiled several times. If bottled water is used for the preparation of infant feeds it should be boiled once and cooled. If you are using bottled water for preparing baby food, be aware that some natural mineral water may have high sodium content. The legal limit for sodium in drinking water is 200mg per litre. Check the label on the bottled water to make sure the sodium or `Na’ is not greater than 200mg per litre. If it is, then it is advisable to use a different type of bottled 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.

• Anyone suffering from diarrhoea (i.e. 3 or more loose bowel motions in a 24 hour period) for more than two days should contact their general practitioner and provide a stool sample for testing. They should continue to drink plenty of boiled or bottled water.