Wexford water usage has risen 18 per cent

WATER usage across County Wexford rose by 18 per cent when the pandemic first hit the country.

When contacted by this newspaper, a spokesperson for Irish Water said that data available to the state body showed that distribution input for the county, between February and April, increased by 700m3/day (mega litres per day).

‘Furthermore, water consumption patterns for Wexford align with national trends and as a result we are observing an increase in domestic consumption of approximately 18 per cent to 20 per cent,’ said the spokesperson.

He went on comment that business consumption would have decreased as a result of the temporary closure of most businesses anyway during the pandemic and said: ‘Balancing the amount business customers would use and the increase in domestic use, it shows domestic consumption in Wexford has gone up by approximately 18 per cent, on average, across the county.’

With regard to specific areas of the county the spokesperson said: ‘It is hard to break it down to scheme level but it would be fair to say that demand has gone up on pretty much every scheme across the county.’

The spokesperson also commented that there has been 40 per cent less rain this year compared to the same time last year.

‘It is important that everyone plays their part in conserving as much water as possible while adhering to all HSE and public health guidelines,’ he said.

Meanwhile in a statement issued to this newspaper, the spokesperson said that when Government restrictions are lifted, many commercial premises will need to use extra water to clean and flush their plumbing systems and storage tanks to complete deep cleans while water storage in homes will continue to remain higher than normal.

Irish Water is appealing to the public to prioritise hand-washing over power-washing and to conserve water now where possible.

Some simple measures that people can do to cut back on water use is include using a watering can rather than hose in the garden, taking showers rather than baths and not using power-washers.

Irish Water’s Managing Director, Niall Gleeson, said: ‘We can see a significant change in water usage patterns in commuter belt towns and rural areas where significant numbers of people would usually be out of the house for long periods during the day.’

Irish Water’s Operation’s Lead, Brian O’Leary, said an aim of the organisation is to ensure it supplies more treated drinking water than is required and that can be managed by conserving water.

‘It is essential that we act now to protect our supply and safeguard our water for essential use,’ he said.