Almost 2,000 complaints were submitted by customers to Uisce Éireann over the last four years, alleging that poor water quality had caused them to become unwell.
Information released under Freedom of Information legislation shows an additional 1,728 complaints related to discoloured water, while 458 concerned general water quality, reports Breaking News.
Overall, from January 2022 to December 2025, customers made a total of 7,264 complaints nationwide to the water utility.
Complaints about general water quality have risen during the four-year period, increasing from 101 in 2022 to 126 in 2024 and reaching 140 in 2025, even though this year’s data only covers January to the end of November, reports Breaking News.
A spokesperson for the HSE said they “recognise that increases in monitoring may lead to increased detections”, reports Breaking News.
“Where the HSE has been consulted in respect of particular supplies, it has provided the necessary health advice and requests that the consumer be informed by Uisce Éireann, reports Breaking News.
“Complaints relating to illness from sources are assessed by the HSE on a case-by-case basis in order to ensure the protection of human health,” reports Breaking News.
Uisce Éireann said: “The total number of complaint cases from customers reporting that they suspect their illness is caused by drinking water… does not represent actual proven illnesses caused by drinking water”, reports Breaking News.
They added that none of the complaints led to any “verified” cases of illness.
The water provider also said that more than 99 per cent of Ireland’s drinking water supplies meet required standards and that an “extensive water quality monitoring regime” is in place, reports Breaking News.
Additionally, figures obtained through Freedom of Information show a sharp rise in water outages, increasing from 570 incidents in 2022 to 769 in 2024, and climbing again to 796 by the end of November this year.
Boil-water notices peaked at 107 nationwide in 2023, before falling to 51 in 2024 and 50 by the end of November 2025, reports Breaking News.
Regarding boil-water notices, Uisce Éireann said its main concern is the “protection of public health”, noting that such notices are only issued following consultation with the HSE.
They said the number of boil-water notices has “dropped significantly”, with most of those issued in 2023 lasting fewer than 30 days, reports Breaking News.
“Over the last six years, Uisce Éireann has made enormous strides in identifying and addressing risks to public drinking water supplies,” a spokesperson said, reports Breaking News.
“Many of these risks existed for years but only came to light due to the more robust testing and sampling regimes that we have put in place,” reports Breaking News.
The impact on water services is not evenly distributed across the country, with Co Cork repeatedly recording some of the most severe issues, including 84 outages and 41 water-related illness complaints this year alone.
In Dublin, customers in Dublin South County reported 58 outages and 13 complaints about taste or odour, while residents in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown made 32 illness-related reports along with numerous complaints of discoloured tap water, reports Breaking News.
Several counties have experienced recurring problems over multiple years, with Co Clare recording 31 discolouration complaints in 2025 after logging 35 in 2024. Complaints related to taste remain lower overall but have increased in areas such as Co Galway and Wicklow, which recorded seven and 18 complaints respectively in the past year.
A spokesperson for the water provider said: “Any exceedance to the drinking water regulations that could potentially impact public health is reported to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for their awareness and advice”, reports Breaking News.
“Uisce Éireann is committed to delivering the best service possible in this regard, with the most recent data from the CRU showing that the vast majority (98 per cent) of complaints were resolved within regulated timelines,” reports Breaking News.
Uisce Éireann also stated that customers may be entitled to a €30 payment if the utility fails to meet its service commitments, reports Breaking News.
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