Boil Water Notices Affect 200,000 Consumers in 2025, Up 19% From 2024
In 2025, boil water and water restriction notices increased by 19% from 2024, affecting 200,000 consumers across 100 supplies. The EPA reported inadequate disinfection and E. coli failures as primary causes, urging Uisce Éireann to improve treatment plant resilience. Despite challenges like leakage and lead pipes, 99.8% of water samples met quality standards.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported an increase in boil water and water restriction notices in 2025, impacting 100 supplies and almost 200,000 consumers. This is up from 84 supplies in 2024, representing a 19% increase. There were 66 boil water notices and 34 water restrictions in 2025, compared to 59 and 25 respectively in 2024. Many of these notices, 28 boil water and 23 water restriction, lasted over 30 days.
Uisce Éireann issues these notices after consulting with the HSE on potential public health risks. The majority of boil water notices were due to inadequate disinfection, with nine linked to Storm Eowyn. E. coli failures in 24 supplies highlight a lack of resilience in some treatment plants. The EPA urged Uisce Éireann to improve plant resilience against changing weather, raw water quality, or malfunctions to prevent restrictions.
Water restriction notices stemmed from issues like nitrate, copper, manganese, or iron, with 12 due to manganese or iron. The EPA also highlighted wider challenges including 36% daily water loss from leakage and the risk of lead exposure from old pipes. Despite these issues, 99.8% of samples met standards, and «at-risk» supplies decreased from 45 in 2025 to 35. EPA directors Noel Byrne and Patrick Byrne emphasized the need for Uisce Éireann to make treatment plants more robust and allocate resources for upgrades at «at-risk» supplies.