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Hosepipe ban ‘increasingly likely’
03.06.20
IRISH Water has
confirmed that it is ‘increasingly likely’ that a
Water Conservation Order, more commonly known as a
hosepipe ban will have to be put in place following
increased demand on water and deteriorating drought
conditions. This comes during the ongoing Covid-19
crisis, when handwashing and hygiene remain
critically important.
Two weeks ago, Irish Water, urged the public to
choose handwashing over power washing as domestic
water usage increased by an average of 20% as more
people were staying at home in response to the
Covid-19 crisis.
Now the increased domestic demand and increase in
commercial demand as businesses are reopening is
being exacerbated by warm weather and the widespread
emergence of drought conditions. |
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Since March Irish Water
has been carefully monitoring all of its raw water
sources, that is the water from lakes, rivers,
springs and ground sources that feed our water
treatment plants. Of Irish Water’s 900 drinking
water schemes, 16 currently are in drought and 38
are at risk of going into drought. The weather
forecast is for continued dry conditions which will
exacerbate the situation and Irish Water’s data
shows spikes of water usage on very sunny days.
Speaking about the developing situation, Irish
Water’s Drinking Water Lead for Donegal Kevin Love
said: “We are appealing to the public to redouble
their efforts in conserving water in the home and in
the garden. With so many people staying at home
during the Covid-19 crisis, domestic demand for
water increased by 20% at a time when our water
treatment plants were working at maximum capacity.
“We are monitoring a number of water supplies in Co.
Donegal that have reduced raw water source levels as
a result of the prolonged dry period with particular
focus on Letterkenny, Lettermacward and Lough Mourne.
Increased demand on our water supplies over the bank
holiday weekend resulted in night time restriction
being implemented on parts of the Lough Mourne and
Letterkenny water supplies to ensure there is
available supply for all our customers on all parts
of our networks.
“Imposing a Water Conservation Order is not a
measure that Irish Water wants to take but it is
increasingly likely that we will have to do so. It
is essential that our water supply is protected if
we are to avoid restrictions and outages over the
coming weeks and months.
“There are lots of helpful tips for conserving water
on Water.ie but
the key things are to leave the hose and the
pressure washer in the shed; don’t use paddling
pools; reuse household water for the garden; and
take shorter showers. Safeguarding the supply of
water is essential at this time when handwashing and
hygiene is of critical importance. We are calling on
everyone to play their part.” |
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