Irish Water appeals to Limerick customers to conserve water during heatwave

Irish Water is appealing to the public to conserve water as a prolonged dry spell has been predicted by Met Éireann.

Max temps expected this week (°C):
Yesterday (Sunday) 21 to 26
Today (Monday) 24 to 27
Tuesday 24 to 28
Wednesday 24 to 30
Thursday 24 to 30
Friday 23 to 29

Temperatures will be a little lower near coasts, especially the east coast due to onshore breezes.

— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) June 25, 2018

While there have been no issues reported so far in Limerick, the warm weather has exacerbated the situation elsewhere in the country where supplies were already under pressure.

Demand for water is increasing while levels in rivers and lakes are dropping significantly which means that is there is less water available to treat and supply to homes and businesses.

Irish Water says its Drought Management Team is monitoring water supplies and demand around the country on a daily basis.

Already some areas in Athlone, Kilkenny and north Dublin have experienced outages and restrictions and areas in Donegal and Mullingar have been identified as being at risk.

“The top three measure that people can take (to conserve water) are not using a hose to water the garden or wash cars; keeping paddling pools very shallow if they are being used; and taking short showers rather than baths,” said Kate Gannon, manager of Corporate Affairs at Irish Water.

“Our Drought Management Team is monitoring the situation daily across the country but if everyone can take these simple steps, it will help us to manage supply and demand. This is a very serious situation and we are seeking the public’s help. Every effort the public make to conserve water will benefit them and their community,” she added.