A broken tap at the emergency unit of Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Denbighshire ran for 81 days, wasting an estimated 1,166,400 litres of water before it was fixed on October 26.
The tap had been broken since August 7 and was repaired on October 26, according to the health board. A video of the leaking tap was sent to a local councillor on October 11.
Councillor criticises health board
Tremeirchion councillor Chris Evans said the issue should have been easy to fix and that it reflected wider problems at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which has been in special measures for much of the last decade.
Evans said: "A running tap is a plain, easy fix, isn't it? I think it sums up what is wrong with Betsi that they can't even sort a running tap that's been running since August."
He added: "It's not good for the environment. It's a waste of water. Why can't we just replace the tap? It shows how bad Betsi is. It's symptomatic of a bigger problem."
Health board explains delay
Arwel Hughes, operational estates chief for the health board, said the fault was initially identified as a minor drip from a specialist clinical tap, which later worsened.
Hughes said: "Although a replacement part was ordered from the manufacturer promptly, repair was delayed until Monday, October 26 due to supplier lead times."
He added that any decision to isolate or remove the facility had to be balanced against the potential impact on patient care, including the availability of essential handwashing facilities.
The health board said it is working with suppliers to review and improve the availability and lead times of specialist replacement parts to reduce future repair times.
