Temporary interruption to water supply for some customers in Cork City

Information below is relevant until further updates are provided here or on our Supply and Service Updates section.

Uisce Éireann wishes to advise customers in Cork City of a disruption to water supply from 11.30pm to 3.30am on Tuesday 30 July and Wednesday 31 July to facilitate ongoing essential watermains replacement works as part of the Cork City South Quays project.

Uisce Éireann, working in partnership with Cork City Council is replacing 4.2km of old cast iron watermains with modern pipes on the South Quays as we continue to address leakage and discolouration reports, to provide a more reliable water supply and support development and growth. Works commenced in March 2024 and are progressing ahead of schedule.

The areas affected by the outage include Sullivan’s Quay, Cove Street, Meade Street, Travers Street, Abbey Street, Mary Street, Margaret Street, Douglas Street, Georges Quay, Dunbar Street, Red Abbey Street, Needham Place, Sawmill Street, Union Quay, Copley Street, South Terrace, Anglesea Street, Anglesea Terrace, Hibernian Road and surrounding areas. Up to 2,000 customers may be impacted by water interruptions and low pressure.  

Every effort will be made to limit the impact of these essential works and we would like to thank the community in advance for their patience and co-operation. Following the completion of works, please allow time for water pressure to return to normal. It can take 2-3 hours for the normal water supply to return as water refills the network. 

Following any significant works on the water network, we usually see increased reports of sediment becoming dislodged from the old cast iron pipes, resulting in discoloured water at customers’ taps in the short-term. If your tap water is discoloured, running the tap for up to 20 minutes will usually restore water to a clear colour. Water is safe to drink once the water is running clear. Uisce Éireann continues to advise customers not to drink discoloured water.

Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann receive direct communications from us for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours. 

Uisce Éireann’s customer care team is available to help 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For further updates, visit the service and supply section.

Uisce Éireann is responsible for delivering public drinking water and wastewater services for the people of Ireland. We are committed to enabling communities to thrive by continuously upgrading and developing critical infrastructure to support sustainable growth and development, providing safe drinking water, and enhancing the environment.