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North Wales Live
6 days ago
- Health
- North Wales Live
Health experts issue advice as thousands left without water in 'significant incident'
Health experts have issued advice to residents caught up in ongoing water supply issues in Flintshire. It comes after water tankers were positioned at two hospitals affected by what Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is calling a 'significant incident'. Thousands of homes have been left with little or no water since last night after temporary repairs failed on a burst pipe in Broughton. This morning the Riverlink donkey and pony sanctuary in Mancot, Deeside, issued an 'urgent' plea for help after running out of water. Three bottled water stations are now in operation (see details below). Public Health Wales said that, in most cases, this water is safe to drink, cook and wash with. You can get all the latest on this incident here. But it is advising some customers to take extra care both during the outage and when supplies are restored. The NHS recommends bottled water is not used for making formula feed for babies. This is particularly the case for bottled water bought from shops and not supplied free by water companies. A PHW spokesperson said: 'It's not sterile and may contain too much salt or sulphate. If you need to prepare baby formula milk, the water provided is safe to use once it has been boiled and cooled. 'Bottled water should be boiled, covered and left to cool for up to half an hour. Or, use ready-made formula milk.' Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone When supplies start coming back on stream, it may initially be discoloured. PHW said affected customers may have to boil their tap water. If this is the advice issued by Dŵr Cymru, only boiled water should be used for drinking, brushing teeth and preparing food. PHW said: 'Un-boiled water may be used to prepare food that will be cooked or if the water is boiled during cooking. Use a kettle, rather than pots and pans, to boil water. Never drink water from the hot tap.' If there's not enough water to flush the toilet, PHW recommends saving the water normally used for cooking and washing up, for flushing instead. Other sources of water, such as garden water butts, can also be used for flushing. In social media posts, the health body stressed: 'Please continue to drink water as you normally would to avoid the risks of dehydration, and continue to wash your hands after using the toilet and before preparing food.' The problem originated a week ago (Thursday, August 7) when a burst mains caused a partial road collapse on the Parc Jasmin Estate. Some residents also suffered flooding outside their homes. Once a temporary fix had been applied, the pipe network was refilled on Saturday (August 9) in a process that continued overnight. Customers were left with supply issues during the refill and some have complained of problems ever since. Some 17 communities in north Flintshire have now been affected, plus 'areas surrounding Deeside'. The communities are: Flint, Holywell, Ffynnongroyw, Greenfield, Llanerch y Mor, Mostyn, Oakenholt, Talacre, Whitford, Aston, Queensferry, Hawarden, Ewloe, Mancot, Garden City, Shotton and Northop. Dŵr Cymru's chief executive Peter Perry has today apologised, saying he was 'truly sorry for the inconvenience'. Three bottled water stations have now been set up in the following locations: Jade Jones Pavilion Leisure Centre, Flint, CH6 5ER Shotwick Park & Ride Car Park, Drome Road, Deeside Industrial Park, CH5 2NY Mold County Hall car park, Mold CH7 6NF Dŵr Cymru said the temporary repair was applied as a permenant fix was complicated and would take some time. This allowed customers to get back on supply as quickly as possible at a time when several service reservoirs are experiencing 'lower levels of storage'. A spokesperson said: 'Unfortunately, the temporary repair has not held and so we have to act quickly to carry out an emergency repair before full storage could be restored. 'This is complex due to the pipe being located five metres underground and close to underground electric cables and other services, which requires extra care.' Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox Communities and individuals have been quick to offer help to vulnerable customers affected by water shortages. Betsi Cadwaladr, the health board for North Wales, has said its hospitals in Deeside and Holywell are also impacted. Water tankers have been brought in and no disruptions have been experienced so far. The health board said: 'We are advising people who are attending appointments at Holywell and Deeside community hospitals to attend your appointments unless contacted otherwise.'
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
These 2 Western NC rivers were named among America's 11 most endangered historic places
Two Western North Carolina rivers have been placed on a yearly list of America's most endangered historic places, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene's devastating effects. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has been publishing its "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places" lists since 1988. As of the 38th iteration, only "a handful" of the more than 350 historic places named on the lists have been lost over the years according to the historic preservation trust. "Across the United States, compelling, meaningful historic sites are at risk, whether from natural disasters, underutilization, neglect, or lack of awareness," NTHP President and CEO Carol Quillen said in a May 6 news release. "Each site on this year's list has inspired passionate supporters from their surrounding communities to work together to save these cherished landmarks and repurpose them for the public, now and into the future." The French Broad and Swannanoa rivers made the 2025 more than six months after Helene caused historic flooding of the rivers in late September 2024. This flooding, along with ravaging WNC communities, causing some $60 billion in damage and killing more than 100 people, also wreaked havoc on river health. The Citizen Times previously reported the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service's proposal to place the river-dwelling Eastern hellbender on the endangered species list. More: Asheville seeks design team to help rebuild Helene-damaged French Broad riverfront parks Swannanoa, French Broad rivers among America's most 11 endangered historic places Following Helene, organizations such as MountainTrue, Riverlink and other environmental nonprofits have worked to repair the damage caused by the storm. These organizations and other river health groups have deployed volunteers to assist in removing massive amounts of debris from waterways, rebuilt river banks and advocated for more sustainable practices to protect ecosystems from future damage. Despite the destruction, there was plenty of early good news surrounding the health of the two rivers. In November 2024, MountainTrue's French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson described the reasons that he was "very encouraged with the pollution levels found so far in our waterways and river sediment" to The News-Record & Sentinel. Still, it will take years for the rivers to completely recover from the extensive storm damage. Donations can be made to MountainTrue at and to Riverlink at Endangered species in WNC rivers "The French Broad River basin once had one of the most diverse assemblies of aquatic fauna in the state; now it is one of the most heavily altered basins in western North Carolina," reads a report from the NC Department of Environmental Quality. The same report adds that, despite major changes, the basin remains home to a number of aquatic and wetland communities that support diverse species with national or state significance. Within the French Broad River basin, the NC Natural Heritage Program listed: Endangered species of plants and animals (USFWS list) : 8 Threatened species (USFWS list) : 3 Species of Concern (USFWS list) : 43 Endangered species (state of NC list) : 27 Threatened species (state of NC list) : 17 Significantly Rare species (state of NC list) : 49 Species of Concern (state of NC list): 38 The 11 most endangered historic places of 2025 More information about all 11 endangered places can be found at The full list from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in alphabetical order included: Cedar Key, Florida French Broad and Swannanoa River Corridors, Western North Carolina Hotel Casa Blanca, Idlewild, Michigan May Hicks Curtis House, Flagstaff, Arizona Mystery Castle, Phoenix, Arizona Oregon Caves Chateau, Caves Junction, Oregon Pamunkey Indian Reservation, King William County, Virginia San Juan Hotel, San Juan, Texas Terminal Island Japanese American Tuna Street Buildings, Los Angeles, California The Turtle, Niagara Falls, New York The Wellington, Pine Hill, New York More: Dredged up by Helene, 'magical' eastern hellbender now proposed for endangered species status More: Helene swept away WNC trout and anglers. Restoring fishing industry 'will be challenging' Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@ This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Western NC rivers among 11 most endangered historic places of 2025
