Urgent hosepipe ban for 3 areas after record-breaking 25.9C temps & ‘no rain forecast' fears – six ways to save water
IRELAND is set to continue baking in the sun as high temperatures stick around for the next two weeks.
The country has been enjoying glorious weather over the past week with temperatures reaching record- breaking highs.
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Uisce Eireann's Margaret Attridge
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Irish water chiefs have asked people to be mindful of their water use
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The hottest April day ever in Ireland was recorded on Wednesday with a temperature of 25.9C in Athenry, Co Galway.
This smashed the previous record of 25.8C in Glenties, Co Donegal, in April 1984.
Alan O'Reilly of Carlow Weather has explained that Ireland is set to be
Telling how, at present, there is "
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"There will be some showers but if you look here at the total rainfall forecast for the whole of Europe for the next two weeks and even a little bit beyond very little rainfall expected for Ireland.
"Obviously beyond seven days that can change, so there is a possibility that we could see rain in ten days time, those things can change.
"But at the moment if you look, Ireland looks to be one of the driest spots in Europe for the next two weeks."
So as we come into summer, Uisce Eireann is pleading with households and businesses to be mindful of their use of water with supplies facing major pressure.
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Homeowners in three rural towns will be hit with a hosepipe ban for six weeks from Tuesday due to falling reservoir levels.
Uisce Eireann confirmed that a Water Conservation Order will be in place for Mullingar, Co
Officials said the ban was due to a sharp drop in water levels at the sources supplying these areas, loughs Owel, Colmcille and Bane, following a drier-than-average autumn, winter and spring.
Here Margaret Attridge, head of water operations with Uisce Éireann, warns that the country is not flush with water – and urges for the nation to conserve supply.
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URGENT WATER APPEAL
UISCE Éireann is appealing to all customers to be mindful of their use of water as we enter the summer months.
The Water Conservation Order prohibits the use of garden hosepipes and other non-essential uses of water by domestic users and commercial premises for non-commercial activities, for example watering gardens attached to a business premises.
This Order has been issued in a bid to safeguard these water supplies for essential purposes. This is necessary due to a sharp drop in water levels at the sources supplying these areas following a dryer-than-average autumn, winter and spring.
Lough Owel which supplies the Mullingar Public Water Supply is currently at its lowest level in 50 years.
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Similarly, Lough Colmcille which supplies Milford in Donegal, and Lough Bane which supplies Kells-Oldcastle in Co Meath are also at historically low levels.
In recent weeks, Uisce Éireann has been putting in place a number of measures to maintain and protect these supplies, including enhanced leakage repair works, pressure management and public water conservation campaigns in an effort to reduce demand to sustainable levels.
DRIER THAN NORMAL
Uisce Éireann's top priority is to protect our water supply for use in homes, businesses and essential services.
The past 12 months have been drier than normal when compared to the long-term average.
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This means that some water sources which traditionally would have replenished over the winter period have not seen the same levels of recovery and, as a result, we are starting to experience issues with water availability at these sources.
While the Water Conservation Order only applies to these three schemes, we are reminding all customers to be mindful of their use of water so supplies can be protected, especially in areas where water resources are under pressure.
As we enter the summer months, warmer weather creates a surge in demand for water, for gardening, leisure and other purposes. But using a hosepipe for one hour is the equivalent of the daily water usage of an average family and this is generally a non-essential use of water.
We are asking everyone to play their part in conserving water and reporting leaks to help alleviate the pressure on our water supplies.
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There are tips for conserving water on water.ie but the key messages are to leave the hose and the pressure washer in the shed, reuse household water for the garden; and take shorter showers. We are calling on every- one to play a part so we can maintain supplies into the summer.
Simple actions, such as taking a shorter shower, placing a basin in the sink and fixing leaking taps can all make a significant impact.
Uisce Éireann has developed an easy-to-use conservation calculator to help people find out how much water they are saving and what they can do to save even more. See
TOP TIPS TO CONSERVE WATER
Leak free: Check your home is leak free. Check for running overflows and fix any dripping taps, cisterns or pipes.
Don't let the tap run: Brushing your teeth with the tap running can use up to a staggering 6 litres per minute. Brushing your teeth with the tap off will use a more modest 1 litre of water.
Shower vs Bath: The average bath uses 80 litres of water compared to an average shower using 49 litres in seven minutes. Switch your bath to a shower.
Less time: With the average shower using 7 litres of water per minute by turning your five minute shower into four minutes, you could save up to 7 litres of water per day.
Fully loaded: Always ensure your dishwasher and washing machines are fully loaded. A modern washing machine uses around 65 litres of water a cycle while a dishwasher uses 20 litres. You will also reduce your energy bills
Don't flush it all away: A third of all water is flushed down the toilet. Some larger cisterns can continue to work effectively with a smaller flush. Place a displacement device into the cistern (out of the way of moving parts).
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