Cork's dirty water: Bakery owner fears she may be forced to close her business
Artisan confectioner Desislava Petkova putting the final touches to one of her creations in her bakery studio on Assumption Road, Cork. Pictures: David Creedon
A resident of Mount Farran in Cork says she may be forced to shut down her home business as a result of ongoing issues with dirty water.
Baker Desislava Petkova, who runs Daisy’s Delights, was facing into her second working week without tap water when interviewed by the .
Despite numerous phone calls to Uisce Éireann, Desislava, who is known as Daisy for short, said yellow-tinged water continues to flow from her tap.
She is not the only resident frustrated at the lack of clean water.
Desislava and her neighbours vented their outrage through a protest in September of last year.
The community was galvanised into action by revelations linked to €30,000 bonuses doled out to some Uisce Éireann staff in 2023.
Many have been left incensed by the water issues which started in July 2022, after the commissioning of a new water treatment plant on the Lee Road.
Residents of Cork's northside started to notice a change in their tap water after the chemical process used to rebalance the pH of the water was switched from calcium hydroxide-lime to sodium hydroxide, or caustic soda.
This, coupled with a quicker rate of water flow through the pipes, has been dislodging sediment collected inside some of the network’s old cast-iron pipes, resulting in discolouration.
Desislava, who lives with her husband Tihomir and daughter Eva, explained why the water issue was putting her business at risk of closure.
“It’s been a week since we’ve had clean water,” she told the .
“My dishwasher is overflowing because I can’t start it. The sink is full in the kitchen where I work from. Normally, if I’m trying to clean melted chocolate off an item in the kitchen I’ll throw it in the dishwasher and it will be clean. Now, the only way is to boil the water.”
She said the issue was costing her time and money.
“All the ingredients for the cakes, including butter, chocolate, and sugar have to be bought on a weekly basis. On top of that, I am buying bottled water to wash my hands while I’m working. I’ll buy 10 five-litre bottles of water for domestic use every week but they could be gone by Wednesday. I’m not sure if it’s worth continuing with the business.”
The mother of one admits she cannot see a way out for her business if the problem is not resolved.
“Hygiene is my number one priority, so my hands are constantly in the sink or going through bottled water. Cake decorating is my passion and I managed to turn this into a small business.
She stressed she is not the only one impacted.
“I don’t know how people are surviving when you think about how much cooking and cleaning people have to do. My daughter is 16 but there are people with very young families using bottled water to brush their teeth.”
Desislava has tried unsuccessfully to seek advice from Uisce Éireann.
“I know these are people working from call centres so I’m still trying to be nice when I phone and not take out my frustrations out on them. However, it is hard when you are not getting any satisfaction.
"At one point I was told to keep the tap running to get rid of the problem. We left the water in the garden running all night and there was still no change. The last few months have been a nightmare.”
