Hosepipe ban helping to restore supplies
A nationwide hosepipe ban in Ireland is successfully reducing water demand and allowing reservoirs to recover. The water utility, Uisce Éireann, implemented the measure to address supply pressures caused by warm weather.
Why it matters
Effective water management is becoming increasingly critical as climate patterns lead to more frequent periods of drought and high domestic consumption.
The hosepipe ban is already having an impact in restoring Uisce Éireann's drinking water supplies, the water utility has said.
Asset strategy senior manager at Uisce Éireann Mairéad Conlon said the nationwide ban is needed to ease pressure on the water utility's reservoirs.
A nationwide hosepipe ban came into effect on Friday but the Water Conservation Order, as it is officially called, had already been in place for the Greater Dublin Area along with parts of Wexford, Wicklow, Meath, Kildare and south Tipperary.
One month ago, the seven-day average for drinking water demand was around 670 million litres in the Greater Dublin Area.
Uisce Éireann's sustainable output capacity is around 650 million litres of water per day for that region.
The 20 million litre gap was bridged by increasing water treatment plant capacity and by using treated water storage.
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