Uisce Éireann issues hosepipe ban for three counties amid 'sharp drop in water levels'

Uisce Éireann has issued a Water Conservation Order, or hosepipe ban, for three water supplies in Donegal, Meath and Westmeath from next week onwards. 

The orders will impact Mullingar in Westmeath, Milford in Donegal, and Kells-Oldcastle in Meath. It will come into affect from midnight on Tuesday, 6 May and last for six weeks.

The order will only impact these locations and not the rest of the country. However, Uisce Éireann has urged all customers to be mindful of their water usage as we enter the summer months. 

This order prohibits the use of garden hosepipes and other non-essential uses of water at homes or businesses such as watering gardens, cleaning private vehicles, and filling or maintaining swimming or paddling pools (except when using hand held containers filled directly from a tap).

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Uisce Éireann said that the order has been issued in a bid to safeguard these water supplies for essential purposes. They added that it was necessary in these areas due to a "sharp drop in water levels at the sources supplying theses areas following a dryer-than-average autumn, winter and spring."

In a statement, they added: "For example, Lough Owel which supplies the Mullingar Public Water Supply is currently at its lowest level in 50 years. Similarly, Lough Colmcille which supplies Milford in Donegal, and Lough Bane which supplies Kells-Oldcastle in Co Meath are also at historically low levels."

The hosepipe ban comes after weeks of Uisce Éireann putting in place a number of measures to maintain and protect these supplies such as leakage repair works, pressure management and public water conservation campaigns in an effort to reduce demand to sustainable levels. 

Commenting on the hosepipe ban, Head of Water Operations at Uisce Éireann, Margaret Attridge said: "The past 12 months have been drier than normal when compared to the long-term average. 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 that 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.

"However, 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."