Concerns have been raised this week over the water levels at Lough Owel in Co. Westmeath, where Irish Water is advising members of the public to conserve water where possible.
Irish Water told AgriLand this morning (January 24) that water levels at Lough Owel were “lower than normal” for this time of year.
The entity also pointed to the vulnerability of many of the country’s water supplies, which it says, became evident during the 2018 drought.
It also pointed to the company’s Drought Management Team that monitored water supplies and demand around the country on a daily basis.
It said Irish Water’s “top priority” during the drought was to protect the country’s water supply for use in homes and businesses by maximising water conservation and fixing leaks.
Rainfall over the past number of months has seen a very encouraging level of recovery in almost all areas; however, an on-going area of concern is in Lough Owel.
“Irish Water has appealed to homes and businesses in the area to conserve water where possible,” a spokesperson added.
Additionally, the entity, in partnership with Monaghan County Council, is also currently investigating “higher than normal water usage levels” in the Ballybay area of the county.
“This increase in usage over a number of mornings is causing high turbidity [swirling mud or dirt particles] in the network which could be leading to cloudiness in water being delivered to some customers’ taps,” a spokesperson said.
However, this water is in compliance with all water-quality regulations and “is safe to drink”, the spokesperson added.
Farmers’ concerns
Meanwhile, farmers have raised concerns over the abolishing of domestic water charges and the potential that has now arisen for passing any additional costs onto them.
Speaking on the move to consolidate water connection charges to one standard set of charges nationally, Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) Farm and Rural Affairs Committee chairman, Denis Drennan, said it was “essential” that any charges imposed by Irish Water were kept to an absolute minimum.
It is important that businesses like farming are not charged excessive fees as a result of the Government decision not to impose domestic water charges.
Price levels
Irish Water, meanwhile, pointed to its non-domestic tariffs and said there were currently over 44 different business charging regimes, with more than 500 different price levels across the country.
“As a result, customers with similar water services pay very different amounts, depending on their location,” the spokesperson said.
“Irish Water’s submission proposes that 88% of customers would either see a decrease, no change or an increase of less than €250.
“Just 12% of customers will see their bill rise by over €250 per annum and this proposal has gone through the first stage of public consultation with a second consultation to follow at the end of 2019,” continued the spokesperson.
Irish Water added: “The Government abolished domestic water charges in July 2017 and the monies that Irish Water previously received in domestic charges are fully subvented by Government so there is no shortfall.”