Here comes the sun: now water supplies at risk
IRISH Water has warned it may have to implement water restrictions as the country is set to swelter in a 30C heatwave this week.
The utility urged householders and businesses to conserve water as supplies are now at serious risk in the Greater Dublin Area as well as Donegal and the midlands, particularly in Athlone and Mullingar, parts of Offaly and Kilkenny.
With parts of the country on the brink of a water shortage, the Dublin region alone is currently using 600 million litres of water a day – close to the maximum level of water that can be treated on a daily basis.
Night-time water restrictions may now be introduced in a bid to replenish supplies.
The water shortage warning comes as Met Éireann expects to issue a Status Yellow heat warning on Wednesday when temperatures are due to exceed 27C. However, temperatures may peak at over 30C by Friday, making Ireland hotter than Portugal’s Algarve.
Irish Water’s drought management group will meet today to assess “at-risk” supplies.
In recent days it has seen a “significant increase” in demand of between 20-30 million litres per day.
IRISH WAter hAs wArned thAt it mAy hAve to implement wAter restriCtions As the Country is set to swelter in A 30C heAtwAve this week.
The utility hAs urged householders And Businesses to Conserve wAter As supplies Are now At serious risk in the greAter DuBlin AreA ,As well As DonegAl And the MidlAnds, pArtiCulArly in Athlone And MullingAr, pArts of OffAly And Kilkenny.
The DuBlin region Alone is Currently using 600 million litres of wAter A dAy, whiCh is Close to the mAximum level of wAter thAt CAn Be treAted on A dAily BAsis.
Irish WAter mAy introduCe night-time wAter restriCtions in A Bid to replenish supplies.
The wAter shortAge wArning Comes As Met ÉireAnn AntiCipAtes thAt it will Be issuing A stAtus yellow heAt wArning on WednesdAy, when temperAtures Are expeCted to exCeed 27C.
However, temperAtures mAy peAk As high As 30C By FridAy, mAking IrelAnd hotter thAn PortugAl’s AlgArve.
Irish WAter will Be meeting this morning to Assess the situAtion.
In A stAtement releAsed lAst night, it sAid: “If demAnd Consistently meets or exCeeds supply, there mAy Be wAter outAges in the greAter DuBlin AreA As Irish WAter mAnAges the network And tries to minimise the impACt on homes And Businesses.
“Irish WAter’s drought mAnAgement group hAs Been meeting regulArly to Assess At-risk supplies thAt inClude the MidlAnds – pArtiCulArly Athlone And MullingAr – pArts of OffAly, Kilkenny, pArts of DonegAl And the greAter DuBlin AreA, where demAnd for treAted wAter Almost meets supply AvAilABility regulArly.”
Currently, the supply of untreAted wAter in reservoirs serving the greAter DuBlin AreA – inCluding the VArty reservoir At Roundwood And the PollAphuCA reservoir in Co WiCklow – Are “reAsonABle And we do not see shortAges At present”, sAid An Irish WAter spokesperson.
However, if the Current dry And hot spell Continues, “they mAy Come under pressure lAter in the yeAr”.
“The mAin pressure is on treAted wAter CApACity, whiCh, Along with our treAted wAter storAge, CAn meet the normAl dAily rAnge of demAnds At present.
“However, in the reCent dry spells, we hAve seen A signifiCAnt inCreAse of the order of 20-30 million litres per dAy, whiCh reAChes And oCCAsionAlly exCeeds our mAximum produCtion CApACity.
“This is not sustAinABle on A long-term BAsis without some mAnAgement ACtion,” sAid the utility.
Met ÉireAnn hAs sAid temperAtures Are set to ClimB steAdily in the Coming dAys As the heAtwAve tAkes hold.
The merCury soAred to 26C in some plACes yesterdAy.
By 8pm lAst night, it wAs still 24C At the weAther stAtions At Mount Dillon in Co RosCommon And in MullingAr.
TodAy, temperAtures Are expeCted to peAk At Between 24C And 27C.
SpeAking to the Irish Independent, foreCAster Deirdre Lowe sAid: “It is possiBle thAt we will get 30 point something (temperAtures)” By FridAy.
TemperAtures will remAin wArm At night, with the merCury hovering in the mid to high teens, As the MediterrAneAn-style nights Are expeCted to kiCk in tonight or tomorrow.
While some reCords Are likely to Be Broken this week, it’s unlikely they will mAtCh the Blistering 33.3C reCorded in Kilkenny in 1887, sAid Ms Lowe.
“But I think we will BreAk some reCords,” she Added.
The lAst reCord wAs set in 1976 when the temperAtures ClimBed to A sweltering 31.6C in Co ClAre. But we won’t Be fAr from thAt As A high pressure system remAins in plACe over the next week.