ESB Apologises To Residents Entering Sixth Year Under Boil Water Notice

ESB has responded to a series of questions submitted by Kfm following reports that residents in Horsepasstown, near Poulaphouca, are entering a sixth year under a boil water notice, first imposed in July 2020.

 

In a statement to Kfm, a spokesperson for ESB said:

 

“ESB apologises to the residents impacted by the boil water notice at Poulaphouca. On discovery of the water supply problem, ESB immediately put a boil water notice in place in July 2020. Since then, we have been providing drinking water to all the households impacted by the notice on a weekly basis.”

 

Despite replacing a section of the main in 2020, the company says “this did not result in a satisfactory resolution.” It has since applied to Uisce Éireann to replace the full network, describing the upgrade as essential for a “satisfactory and long-term resolution.”

 

On progress, ESB stated:

 

“Regarding site investigations, ESB has conducted some initial ground investigation. However, as part of the final design for the new replacement water main, Uisce Éireann will require some additional ground investigation, which ESB understand is planned to commence before the end of this year.”

 

The company added:

 

“ESB has engaged regularly with residents and understands the significance of this issue for our neighbours. Uisce Éireann is aware that resolving this issue is a high priority for both ESB and the affected residents. ESB continues to engage with Uisce Éireann and will work with them to resolve this issue. "

 

But for residents like Kay Ward, frustration remains:

 

"If I didn’t have my girls, I couldn’t do it,” she said.

 

“You’d think after all these years we’d be used to it, but you don’t - because you’re always told it’s going to be fixed. In all my years, I never thought I’d see the day in Ireland when I couldn’t drink from my own tap.”

 

Eighty-seven-year-old Kay Ward grew up "poor" but always had running tap water.

She has lived on a small lane in an area known locally as Horsepasstown, which falls within the boundary of Kildare.

For the past six years, Ward has remained under a boil water notice, with no confirmed date for when safe tap water will be restored.

She says the disruption has become part of daily life but remains difficult.

“It hasn’t got easier as the time went on,” she told Kfm. “We thought we’d get used to it, but you don’t.”

Every Monday, twelve large bottles of drinking water are delivered by ESB, which owns the local water main.

“I can’t lift anything at this age, so I wait for somebody to take them in for me,” Ward said. 

“I don’t like using that bottled water for cooking or tea. My daughters take large bottles, fill them at their taps in Manor Kilbride and bring them back. One of them bought me a little pump in Spain that doesn’t fit very well, but it lets me fill the kettle without lifting the bottle.”

She said even brushing her teeth and taking medication requires planning.

"I have to bring water with me,” she said. “My hands aren’t steady. I spill a lot. I worry I might slip. It makes my life a little bit harder than it already is - and it is hard at this stage.”

Ward said her late husband expected the problem to be resolved quickly.

“He was hopeful it would go away,” she said. “But nothing changed.”

ESB correspondence seen by Kfm outlines some of the timeline:

On July  3rd 2020 a boil water notice was issued after coliform bacteria was detected. ESB said it would investigate immediately and supply bottled water “in the meantime.”

On the 19th of October 2020 a follow-up letter apologised for disruption and said specialist engineers were reviewing the network.

On October 26th 2023 an update confirmed water quality was “still not at a level that would allow for the boil water notice to be lifted” and said ESB had applied to transfer responsibility to Uisce Éireann.

On May 1st 2024 another update apologised for “the long delay in reaching a resolution” and said discussions with Uisce Éireann were continuing.

Ward said the wording rarely changes.

“The last one still said, ‘Please keep boiling your water,’” she said.

You can listen to the full interview with Kay Ward below.

Uisce Eireann has yet to respond.