Irish Water says 15 areas have already been impacted by water shortages.
Irish Water has urged the public to conserve water ahead of the heatwave set to hit the country in the coming days.
A weather advisory currently in effect from Met Éireann says that Ireland will experience a hot spell that will develop from Wednesday (10 August) and will continue throughout the rest of the week.
As such, Irish Water is asking everybody to take some simple steps to cut back on their water usage to ensure supplies are healthy into late summer and autumn.
In a statement on Tuesday, the company said that while the vast majority of its 750 water treatment plants continue to meet the demand for water supply, there are currently 15 areas impacted by shortages.
These are:
- Clare – Carron Abstraction Site (Termon Spring)
- Cork – Coppeen Pump Station
- Cork – Roberts Cove Reservoir
- Cork – Whitechurch WTP
- Galway – Inis Oirr WTP
- Kilkenny – Bennettsbridge WTP
- Kilkenny – Clogh Castlecomer WTP (Loon WTP)
- Laois – Swan WTP
- Limerick – Oola WTP
- Tipperary – Coalbrook
- Tipperary – Kilcash
- Wexford – Bunclody
- Wexford – Killmallock Bridge WTP
- Wexford – Taylorstown New WTP
- Wexford – Wexford Town
Irish Water explained that it has implemented a range of measures in these areas such as tankering and night-time restrictions in order to protect supplies and ensure water keeps flowing into homes and businesses.
On top of these, the company added that there are around 60 further areas across the country at potential risk of water shortages and that these are being actively monitored.
“We would like to thank the public for their support in conserving water, particularly during the hot weather in mid-July,” Irish Water’s Head of Asset Operations Tom Cuddy said.
“While recent rainfall has reduced the risk of drought, we would ask the public that they continue to conserve over the coming weeks.
“It can sometimes be difficult to know where to start, but even small changes can make a significant difference – and we can all play our part.”
In terms of reducing water usage during the hot weather, Irish Water’s advice for people includes:
- Avoiding power washing and keeping the garden hose in the shed
- Checking for leaks on outdoor taps or troughs as these can lead to large losses of treated water
- Reusing water from paddling and swimming pools for the garden or cleaning the car
- Reporting any visible leaks on the public network to Irish Water at water.ie or by calling 1800 278 278
Irish Water has also developed a free conservation calculator for people to work out how much water they are currently saving and how they can conserve even more.
It is available on the Irish Water website here, along with other water-saving tips.
“We will continue to monitor the levels at all our supplies over the coming weeks and months and take any actions that may be necessary to maintain supplies, including communicating about localised issues as they arise,” Cuddy added.
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