As temperatures increase and this week we recorded the hottest day of the year so far, Uisce Éireann has warned the public to take steps to conserve water supply after having to introduce drought-related restrictions in certain areas.
Areas affected include Clonakilty, Co. Cork and Inis Oírr, Co. Galway, where water restrictions have been introduced for evening times this week, from 11:00p.m until 7:00a.m.
Uisce Éireann’s regional operations lead Niall O’Riordan said:
“These restrictions are required to give the reservoirs time to replenish and are necessary during this off-peak time, as it is possible that there would be insufficient water supply to homes and businesses during daytime hours”.
So far, the majority of water supplies are operating normally and there are no plans to introduce general water restrictions at this time.
Uisce Éireann has issued a number of steps people can take to reduce their water usage during the continued spell of hot weather:
- Avoid power washing and use a watering can instead of a hose in your garden;
- Check for leaks on outdoor taps or troughs as these can lead to large losses of treated water;
- Remember that paddling pools and swimming pools can use huge volumes of water so try to minimise the amount of water used, and consider reusing the water for the garden or cleaning the car;
- Report any visible leaks on the public network to Uisce Éireann.
Conserving water on farm
It has also issued some steps for water conservation on the farm, such as:
- Watch out for overflowing drinking troughs as they can waste significant amounts of water. Adjust the ball valves to lower the float or replace faulty parts;
- Save water when cleaning the yard by using dry-cleaning techniques. Use scrapers and brushes to remove solid waste from yards and pens before hosing;
- Rain from the roofs of farm buildings can be used for numerous activities such as washing down yards. Consider the level of rain water quality required for specific water uses on the farm (e.g., plant nurseries and field irrigation) and the surfaces and contamination risks before you consider installing appropriate rain water harvesting, treatment (filtration and UV) and storage systems;
- Avoid contamination of surface waters by reducing or eliminating access to livestock by fencing off watercourses.
The bank holiday weekend will be mainly sunny, with the odd patch of cloud. Light showers can’t be ruled out for the north.
Highest temperatures will be on Sunday, ranging from 18° in the east to 24° or 25° in the west and southwest with light to moderate easterly winds.
Tom Cuddy, Uisce Éireann’s head of asset operations said: “We are all looking forward to a spell of warm, dry weather over summer months.
“And while we enjoy the sunshine it is important that we all consider our water usage and look at simple yet impactful ways to conserve water.”