Gort water boil notice finally lifted

A BOIL notice that has been in place in Gort for more than a year, was lifted this week. Galway County Council issued the notice in March 2010 and at the time expected it to be removed within three months.

Galway County Council had been advising residents in the Gort area to continue to boil water for consumption despite the opening of a new water treatment plant before Christmas. Following 13 months of boiling water for consumption, residents and businesses in Gort reacted with relief when the local authority lifted the notice on Monday.
“It is a relief for everyone, especially businesses. A lot of people have been asking us when it would be lifted and this is great news. The notice was lifted before Christmas for a week when the new treatment plant came on line but then the freeze-up came and the boil notice was reinstated. There was a history there where a new system had to be built but it took much longer than expected, then when that was done, the HSE had to test the water before it could be opened. The plant opened in mid-December but then there was the big freeze so the new system stopped working and we had to go back on to the old system again. But the new one is back working now and people are very happy with the quality of the water,” said Gerry Finnerty, PRO of Gort Chamber of Commerce.
The new plant opened in mid-December but remained in operation for just one week before severe damage from freezing conditions throughout December and early January meant the new plant was taken out of service and consumers in the area were advised to boil water before use. The freezing conditions caused, what the council called “huge mechanical problems at the plant”.
Valves froze and units, where the chemical treatment process takes place, froze completely forcing the local authority to take the plant out of service. Since then, work on the problems caused by the freezing weather has continued. The boil notice looked set to be lifted in mid-February but further delays occurred.
“The issue of the Gort Regional Water Scheme has been going on since the 1970s and we are still waiting on that but what we have got is an upgrade to the reservoir. Certainly, there is a feel-good factor in seeing the work done and finished and there seems to be more of a spirit in Gort to support the town like people never supported it before but that is probably in part to do with the recessionary times we find ourselves in,” said Mr Finnerty, also a member of Galway County Council.