Hosepipe ban to be extended

IRISH WATER continues to safeguard water supplies as a hosepipe ban is extended in some areas, including Wicklow, to Sunday, September 30.

‘We are appealing to all customers to continue to conserve water as raw water supplies in rivers, lakes and ground water sources remain lower than normal,’ said a spokesman.

‘Water conservation efforts made to date are helping to restore levels in rivers, lakes and ground water sources but further conservation is needed.’ Leakage repair teams are working across the country to find and fix leaks

The Water Conservation Order has been lifted for the north west of the country due to increased rainfall and the conservation measures over the last two months

In the Greater Dublin Area, water supplies are being maintained with minimum service disruption. Water conservation by householders and businesses, continued work on leakage management and night-time pressure management has mangaed to contain overall regional daily usage to around 550 million litres. ‘While demand has been below last year’s level in recent weeks, we expect that demand will be higher over the coming months with the return of schools and colleges,’ said the spokesman. ‘Based on the current storage levels in Pollaphuca and 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.’

In the event of an unusually dry September and Ocober, the levels would reduce to minimum reserve levels and require further restrictions to avoid historic low levels going into the winter. ‘We will be anxiously watching the lake recovery to ensure that we enter 2019 with a full reserve.’