ALERT: Hosepipe ban issued in four counties amid 'drought' warning

Uisce Éireann has confirmed that a Water Conservation Order, commonly known as a hosepipe ban, will come into effect for four counties this week. 

The ban will take place across Waterford, Tipperary, Wexford and Cork (excluding Cork City) from Saturday, July 26. It will be in effect for seven-and-a-half weeks, ending on September 16.  

These are in addition to the three existing Water Conservation Orders which remain in place for Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Milford, Co Donegal and Kells-Oldcastle in Co Meath. 

This order prohibits the use of garden hosepipes and other non-essential uses of water by domestic users and commercial premises for non-commercial activities.

However, Uisce Éireann is appealing to all customers, regardless of whether their supply is covered by a Water Conservation Order, to be mindful while using it as a significant number of supplies around the country remain under pressure. 

These latest Water Conservation Orders have been issued in a bid to safeguard water supplies for essential purposes following a sharp increase in demand across these four counties since the start of the summer. This has put increased pressure on rivers and other water sources supplying these areas, many of which are at historically low levels following a drier than normal autumn, winter and spring. 

In recent weeks, Uisce Éireann has been putting in place a number of measures to maintain and protect these supplies, including enhanced leakage repair works, tankering to reservoirs, pressure management and public water conservation campaigns in an effort to reduce demand to sustainable levels.  

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Mairead Conlon, Asset Strategy Manager with Uisce Éireann, said: “Uisce Éireann’s top priority is to protect our water supply for use in homes, businesses and essential services. The past 12 months have been drier than normal when compared to the long-term average. And while recent rainfall has brought some respite, it will take much longer for all our supplies to recover. The situation is compounded by recent increased demand in the south of the country which is associated with warm weather, and other factors such as tourist activity in some areas.

"As a result we have almost 50 supplies which are currently in drought status. This includes many supplies across counties Waterford, Tipperary, Wexford and Cork County in particular, in addition to the three supplies for which Water Conservation Orders were issued earlier this year and remain in place.

“We are reminding all customers to be mindful of their use of water so that supplies can be protected, especially in areas where water resources are under pressure. As we enter late summer, warmer weather creates a surge in demand for water, for gardening, leisure and other purposes. However, using a hosepipe for one hour is the equivalent of the daily water usage of an average family and this is generally a non-essential use of water. We are asking everyone to play their part in conserving water and reporting leaks to help alleviate the pressure on our water supplies. 

“There are lots of helpful tips for conserving water on water.ie but the key messages are to leave the hose and the pressure washer in the shed; reuse household water for the garden; and take shorter showers. We are calling on everyone to play their part so we can maintain supplies into the summer,” Ms Conlon concluded. 

Some easy water-saving tips:  

• Leave the hose in the shed: Drop the hose during the summer months. Use a rose head watering can to water your plants instead of a hose or sprinkler. Running a hose for just one hour uses as much water as a family would typically need in an entire day.
• Bucket and sponge for your car: Using a bucket and sponge to wash your car can save hundreds of litres of water compared to using a hose or power washer.
• Turn off the tap: Brushing your teeth with the tap running wastes up to six litres of water per minute. Turning it off while brushing can reduce that to just one litre.
• Switch to a shower: Showers use about half the amount of water as baths. Invest in water saving appliances such as water efficient taps and shower heads.
• Shorter showers: With the average shower using seven litres of water per minute by turning your five-minute shower into four minutes, you could save up to seven litres of water per day!
• Fully load your appliances: Always ensure your dishwasher and washing machine are fully loaded before use. A typical washing machine uses approximately 65 litres of water, and a dishwasher uses around 20 litres per cycle. By ensuring they are fully loaded, not only will you conserve water, but you will also reduce your energy bills.

To help people learn more about saving water, Uisce Éireann has developed an easy-to-use conservation calculator so they can work out how much water they are currently saving and how they can conserve even more.

The calculator is available at www.water.ie/calculator where you can also find lots of useful water saving tips.  

Members of the public can report any leaks in the public water network by contacting Uisce Éireann 24/7 at 1800 278 278 or on water.ie