Irish Water has said that it is continuing to see high levels of domestic and commercial demand for treated drinking water as temperatures remain high, which could result in drought in some areas.

Irish Water has said it has been working closely with local authorities across the country to maximise the amount of treated drinking water available to all customers.

In a statement, the national utility said: “With the high temperatures and larger numbers of people in many tourist and coastal areas, our caretakers and plant operators have being taking every measure to ensure that supply can keep up with increases in demand.”

Water demand and potential drought

Irish Water produces 1.7 billion litres of water every day at over 750 water treatment plants, and it said that the majority of supplies are stable with no impact to customers.

However, there are currently 70 of the over 750 water treatment plants serving schemes that are in drought or at risk of drought, the majority in counties Limerick, Kerry, Cork, Wexford and Donegal. 

Most customers in these counties have had no impact to water supply, however Irish Water said there are targeted night-time restrictions within counties to ensure water supplies can be provided to customers during the day.

Tom Cuddy, Irish Water’s head of asset operations, said: “We would like to thank the public, both homes and businesses, for continuing to conserve water right across the country.

“While we saw more rain than usual in May, it followed one of the driest Aprils on record and in some areas of the country we have had little or no rain since early June. 

“This puts supply pressure on areas that are reliant on groundwater sources which are slower to recharge. Over the past seven days there has been less than 1mm across the country and some stations in the Dublin area reporting 0mm,” he added.

“Soil moisture deficits have also been increasing steadily, ranging from around 20mm in parts of Connacht to 60mm in parts of the east. While temperatures are expected to drop next week, longer term forecasts predict drier than normal conditions will continue into August.”

Area at risk of drought

Areas in drought or at most risk at the moment include parts of Limerick, Kerry, Cork, Wexford, Galway and Donegal, many on coastal areas.

Irish Water said it is monitoring supplies carefully and can see similar challenges across areas of Northern Ireland, Wales, England, and Scotland as the dry weather impacts on supplies.

Cuddy continued: “Across the country Irish Water is working closely with our local authority partners to keep the taps flowing, and we have put in place a range of measures including additional pumping at abstraction sources to increase supply of water; tankering water to reservoirs; changing networks to decrease the numbers of customers who could be impacted; and in some cases reducing pressure at night-time to allow reservoirs to fill.

“In addition we have seen a number of major bursts as increases in demand and drying ground conditions contribute to pipes bursting.

“There are currently no plans to implement a Water Conservation Order, and the majority of our water treatment plants continue to provide unrestricted water supplies to customers despite the high levels of demand.”

Conserving water

There are helpful tips for conserving water on water.ie but the key things are:

  • Leave the hose and the pressure washer in the shed;
  • Don’t use paddling pools;
  • Re-use household water for the garden;
  • Take shorter showers.

Irish Water said that safeguarding the supply of water is essential at this time when handwashing and hygiene is of critical importance.

Conserving water is something that Irish Water has said we should be doing year round, not just when supplies come under pressure due to drought conditions and seasonal increases in demand.

Small everyday changes can have lasting results such as:

  • Take a shorter shower can save up to 10L of water/min;       
  • Fix dripping taps or leaking toilets in your home;
  • When brushing teeth or shaving, turn off the tap and save up to 6L of water/min;
  • Save and reuse water collected from baths, showers, and hand basins in the garden;
  • Avoid using paddling pools;
  • In the garden, use a rose head watering can instead of a hose and aim for the roots;
  • If you need to wash your car, use a bucket and sponge instead of a hose;
  • Report any leaks to Irish Water at 1800 278 278.
DROUGHT