Irish Water issues hosepipe water ban

Irish Water has confirmed that a National Water Conservation Order commonly referred to as a hosepipe ban will be in place from Tuesday, June 9th, until Tuesday, July 21st. Four weeks ago, Irish Water urged the public to choose handwashing over power washing as domestic water usage increased as people stayed 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. 

 

The Water Conservation Order has been issued in a bid to safeguard water supplies for essential purposes. Advertisements will appear in the national papers today (Monday 8 June) in line with statutory requirements outlining the prohibition of the use of garden hoses and other non-essential uses of water. 

 

Met Eireann has confirmed that May 2020 was the driest since 1850. Their data shows that temperatures were above average in nearly all areas and rainfall totals in every county were below average for the season, with the Greater Dublin Area, Westmeath, Sligo and Tipperary experiencing their driest spring on record. 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, 27 currently are in drought and 50 are at risk of going into drought. The weather forecast is for a continuation of drier than normal conditions which will further exacerbate the situation.