Water supply restored to majority of Uisce Éireann customers in Galway
Information below is relevant until further updates are provided here or on our Supply and Service Updates section
Water supply has been restored to the majority of Uisce Éireann customers in Galway whose supply was impacted in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn.
As of this afternoon, there are approximately 160 premises (approximately 450 Uisce Éireann customers) across the county whose water supply has not yet been restored. A further approximate 710 premises (approximately 2,000 Uisce Éireann customers) have restricted supplies, where water pressure has not yet returned to its normal levels as treatment plants and reservoirs recharge.
In West Galway, water supply has returned to all but approximately 90 premises, the majority of which are located on higher ground or at the end of their networks. The supply to these customers is still being affected by pump houses which have yet to recover full power. Uisce Éireann is delivering bottled water to these customers every second day and hopes to have full supply returned to normal levels before the weekend.
In East Galway, approximately 200 Uisce Éireann customers in total are without water this afternoon. The majority of these are in the Ballyglunin and Annagh Hill areas to the south of Tuam, where approximately 35 premises have yet to regain supply. A further 50 premises in Tuam town are also experiencing issues with supply.
Approximately 710 premises in East Galway have restricted supplies today, the majority of which are served by the Mid-Galway Public Supply, which continues to recharge to normal levels after a major outage earlier this week. Approximately 20 premises in Ardrahan are also without water. Full supply should be restored to these customers before the end of the week.
Alternative water supplies remain in place in locations around East Galway for any customers still experiencing supply issues. These are located at Abbeyknockmoy, Carrabane, Killtullagh, Monivea, Woodford, Craughwell, Derrydonnell, Lackagh, Laurencetown, Killtormer, Ardrahan, Williamstown and Glenamaddy.
Meanwhile, the Boil Water Notices which were issued last weekend in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn remain in effect. Uisce Éireann customers on the Loughrea Public Water Supply, the Dunmore/Glenamaddy Public Water Supply and the Glenamaddy Public Water Supply are advised to boil and cool their water before use until further notice. Full maps of the areas under the BWNs are available at water.ie.
Uisce Éireann’s Justin Doran thanked affected customers for their patience while supplies were out, and thanked the Uisce Éireann, ESB and local authority ground crews for their trojan efforts to restore the supplies of power and water across the county.
“The damage caused by Storm Éowyn was some of the most severe in recent memory, but our crews on the ground have worked tirelessly to repair the damage caused and restore water supply to our customers as quickly as possible,” said Justin.
“We will continue to work to restore supply to the customers still affected by outages and again wish to thank customers for their understanding while repairs were underway in difficult conditions.”
Uisce Éireann’s Customer Care Team is available to help 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on X @IWCare with any queries.
Uisce Éireann has also launched a free text service, providing real-time updates for local issues. Customers can sign up with their Eircode and mobile number here.
Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann receive direct communications from us for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours.
Previous Updates
Uisce Éireann crews are actively working throughout County Galway to restore water supplies. While the majority of supplies have been restored, some customers across the county remain without water or are experiencing low pressure.
Uisce Éireann crews continue to actively source and transfer generators to sites where power has not been restored. We are co-ordinating closely with the ESB to prioritise power restoration and we are also liaising with other agencies including the National Emergency Co-ordination Group and local authorities.
Several treatment plants across the county are currently running on generators until power supplies can be restored. These include Ballymoe, Ballygar, Mountbellew, Kinvara, Kilkerrin-Moylough and Dunmore-Glenamaddy in the east of the county, and Clifden, Cleggan, Leenane and Teeranea in the west.
Boil Water Notices remain in place on the Dunmore-Glenamaddy, Glenamaddy, and Loughrea Public Water Supplies and customers on these supplies are reminded to boil their water before use.
Power has been restored to Ballinasloe Water Treatment Plant, but the plant is currently out of operation due to a technical fault. Water supply has been disrupted to Laurencetown, Eyrecourt and Meelick as a result.
Generators are being set up at water treatment plants in Glenamaddy and Danganbeg this afternoon and alternative water supplies are available. Alternative water supplies are also available at Woodford, where fallen trees have restricted access to the water treatment plant and prevented a generator from being deployed on site.
The existing alternative water supplies in West Galway are being replenished daily while new alternative supplies have been added today at the following locations:
- Moycullen – Centra carpark
- Rosmuc – Rosmuc GAA pitch
- Roundstone – Main Road
- Rosscahill – Council tap at head of Old Town Road
- Inverin – Tesco
- Ballynahown – Pota
In East Galway, alternative water supplies are available in Abbeyknockmoy, Kiltullagh, Carrabane, Monivea, Lackagh, Woodford, Williamstown and Glenamaddy.
A full list of alternative water supply locations can be found on our website.
Water supply in Galway City is at normal levels.
Anthony Skeffington, North West Regional Operations Manager for Uisce Éireann, thanked affected customers for their understanding while supplies are being restored and assured customers that Uisce Éireann crews are doing all they can to restore normal supply.
“We apologise to customers who have had no water supply for a number of days and ask for the public’s continued patience during this challenging time. Our teams are working to provide alternative water supplies to the areas that need them and we currently have 50 locations around the country where alternative supplies are in place,” said Anthony.
Uisce Éireann is urging customers to conserve water where possible as it returns in order to allow reservoir levels to build and protect supply.
Customers can stay informed about their local water supply by visiting our website, via Uisce Éireann’s X feed, @IWCare, or by signing up for our free text alert service via the website. Alternatively get in touch via our 24/7 customer care centre at 1800 278 278.
Uisce Éireann crews have organised a number of alternative water supplies for customers in Co Galway who have been impacted by disruptions due to the non-restoration of power.
Update: 1:30pm 26 January
- Monivea: near Post Office
- Abbeyknockmoy: Community Centre
- Williamstown: Williamstown Square
- Glenamaddy: The Square (close to Fallon’s Bar)
- Woodford Village: close to Keary’s Hardware.
- Carraroe: Galway County Council offices
- Thir and Fhia: Lettermore carpark
- Ballyconneely: Keogh’s Car Park
- Clifden: local fire station
- Letterfrack: Connamara National Park
- Tully: church carpark
- Clonbur: Kane’s Maam
- Leenane: village carpark
- Galway West (Moycullen): will have an alternative supply on Mountain Road today
Customers are reminded to use their own containers when taking water from the tanker and to boil water before consumption as a precautionary measure, as per advice from the Health Service Executive.
Uisce Éireann crews have organised a number of alternative water supplies for customers in Co Galway who have been impacted by disruptions due to the non-restoration of power.
- Mid Galway Regional Water Supply Scheme: Monivea (near Post Office) and at the Abbeyknockmoy Community Centre.
- Williamstown Water supply scheme: Williamstown Square
- Glenamaddy Water Supply Scheme: The Square, close to Fallon’s Bar.
- Woodford Water Supply Scheme: Woodford Village close to Keary’s Hardware.
These supplies will be available for use from tomorrow morning (Sunday, 25 January). Customers are reminded to use their own containers when taking water from the tanker and to boil water before consumption as a precautionary measure, as per advice from the Health Service Executive.
Uisce Éireann crews are on the ground across Co Galway today working to restore water supplies.
We are actively sourcing and deploying generators at sites where power has not been restored. We are coordinating closely with the ESB to prioritise power restoration and we are also liaising with other agencies including the National Emergency Co-ordination Group and the local authorities.
Power outages at treatment plants and pumping stations continue to impact on supplies across the county of Galway, including at Portumna, Ballinasloe, Woodford and the Mid Galway Water Supply Scheme.
Nationally, approximately 120,000 people across the country have no water this afternoon following Storm Éowyn. An additional 150,000 people are now being supplied by schemes where generators have been deployed by Uisce Éireann crews. Supplies for a further 275,000 people are at risk in areas where power is yet to be restored.
The impacts are being felt nationwide, with areas without water across the North West and in counties Kerry, Clare, Tipperary, Cavan, Monaghan, Longford and Laois. Updates on local supplies issues will be provided on the Úisce Eireann website, as they become available.
Head of Water Operations at Uisce Éireann Margaret Attridge noted that while positive progress had been made overnight, the number of people now experiencing loss of supply due to power outages may increase as reservoir levels drop.
“This unprecedented storm event has had a severe impact on our water and wastewater network nationwide. Our crews are on the ground in all impacted areas working to restore water service as quickly as possible but given the extent of the damage to the power network, it may take some time before full service is restored everywhere. We ask for the public’s continued patience during this challenging time.
“In locations where water supplies have been impacted for longer periods, we are deploying alternative water supplies. Details of these supplies and their locations will be posted across our website and social media channels as they become available,” she added.
Margaret is also urging customers to conserve water where possible in order to protect supply while the outages are resolved. There are some simple steps people can take to conserve their water, such as avoiding the use of water-intensive appliances during this time.
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