Vartry water levels ‘within acceptable range’
AERIAL shots of the Vartry Reservoir shared on social media last week have revealed just how severe an impact the summer drought has had on water levels.
The amount of rainfall at the Vartry from May to August was the lowest in history ever since records were first taken at the site back in 1865. A total of 132mm of rain was recorded over the four months, representing just 41 per cent of the average rainfall expected in Vartry.
There are two storage reservoirs, the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir and water levels have dropped, mainly in the upper reservoir.
An Irish Water spokesperson said this is to be expected as water levels in the lower reservoir are being managed so as to maximise the efficiency of drinking water production at the plant.
The spokesperson explained: ‘Water for the Vartry Water Treatment Plant is taken from the lower reservoir. The water in the upper reservoir is allowed to flow down to the lower reservoir to keep the water levels at a high enough level to maintain drinking water production. So while the water levels have been dropping over the summer, most notably in the upper reservoir, we utilise the water stored in the combined reservoirs.
‘The combined storage is within the range acceptable for Vartry because the water treatment plant output was restricted from March right through to August, and so storage was depleted at a slower rate than in most previous years’.
A water conservation order remains in place for County Wicklow and other counties. Demand in August was below last year’s levels, but the demand is expected to rise as schools and colleges return following the summer break.
‘Based on the current storage levels in the Vartry, there is now a reasonable prospect that we will be able to meet the region’s needs through the autumn, with a continued conservation effort.
‘However, in the event of an unusually dry September and October, the levels would reduce to minimum reserve levels, below which some further restrictions would arise,’ noted the spokesperson.
Irish Water continue to appeal to all customers to continue to conserve water as raw water supplies in rivers, lakes and ground water sources remain lower than normal.