Appeal to Kerry public to reduce water usage right across county

With a high-temperature weather advisory issued across the country, Uisce Éireann is continuing to urge the public to conserve water to ensure a consistent supply for all during this busy time. Demand for drinking water has increased very significantly in many supplies across Kerry. At the same time, due to the dry weather and high temperatures, water source levels are dropping. Uisce Éireann, together with Kerry County Council, is working hard to maintain supplies.   

Anna Brosnan, Uisce Éireann's Operations Lead for Kerry said: "The current extra demand, combined with reduced capacity, is not sustainable across Kerry. We are appealing to everyone to be mindful of this and reduce water consumption as much as possible.

"All supplies across the county are seeing increased demand. Night time restrictions will again be in place on the Mid Kerry Scheme tonight, affecting Aghadoe to Milltown and Callinafercy areas as well as the Central Regional Water Supply Scheme affecting the Gneeveguilla area, between 11pm and 6am. It is anticipated that these restrictions need to be implemented due to the high demand.

"The households, farms and businesses served by public water supplies across Kerry are asked to reduce water usage as much as possible. Particular schemes under the most pressure at present include the Cahersiveen, Portmagee, Maulin, Caherdaniel, Castlecove, Castlegreggory and Inch areas.  

"Everyone can contribute and the combination of effort will greatly help our ability to provide a continuous water supply to all. There is guidance and tips for conserving water available on www.water.ie/conserve."

Small changes can have a significant impact, for example:

• Take a shorter shower and save up to 10 litres of water per minute       
• Fix dripping taps or leaking toilets in your home
• When brushing your teeth or shaving, turn off the tap and save up to 6 litres of water per minute
• Save and reuse water collected from baths, showers, and hand basins in the garden
• Avoid using paddling pools
• In the garden use a rose head watering can instead of a hose and aim for the roots
• If you need to wash your car, use a bucket and sponge instead of a hose
• Report any leaks to Uisce Éireann at 1800 278 278.

Uisce Éireann is continuing to see significant levels of domestic and commercial demand for water as temperatures remain high and the public are asked to take some simple measures to conserve water in their homes,  businesses and on farms. Uisce Éireann 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.  As rivers, lakes and groundwater levels reduce through the summer and autumn period, there is less water available for supply, while at the same time the warmer weather gives rise to increased water demands for domestic, agricultural and leisure uses.

With the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the public are reminded to adhere to public health and HSE advice, and handwashing and hygiene remain critically important.

Uisce Éireann continues to work at this time with our Local Authority partners, contractors and others to safeguard the health and well-being of staff and the public and to ensure the continuity of drinking water and wastewater services. With the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the public are reminded to adhere to public health and HSE advice, and handwashing and hygiene remain critically important. Further water conservation information is available on our Conservation section.

As the Irish staycation season is in full swing and temperatures increase, Uisce Éireann and Kerry County Council are urging customers to conserve water to ensure a consistent supply for all during this busy time. Water supplies are at critically low levels throughout the county and night-time restrictions may be necessary in order to ensure homes and businesses have sufficient supply during the daytime.

Uisce Éireann is seeing an increase in domestic and commercial demand for water as temperatures increase and the public are asked to take some simple measures to conserve water in their homes,  businesses and on farms.

Small changes can have lasting results. For example:

• Take a shorter shower and save up to 10 litres of water per minute       
• Fix dripping taps or leaking toilets in your home
• When brushing your teeth or shaving, turn off the tap and save up to 6 litres of water per minute
• Save and reuse water collected from baths, showers, and hand basins in the garden
• Avoid using paddling pools
• In the garden use a rose head watering can instead of a hose and aim for the roots
• If you need to wash your car, use a bucket and sponge instead of a hose
• Report any leaks to Uisce Éireann at 1800 278 278.

Tom Cuddy, Uisce Éireann's Head of Asset Operations, said: "We would like to wish the Irish public well as they enjoy some well-deserved sun and staycations this summer. We are continuing to work with our local authority partners to ensure everyone enjoys a reliable water supply during the busy summer period and beyond. We are also asking the public to take note of their water usage and conserve where possible.

"Conserving water is something that we should be doing year round, not just when supplies come under pressure due to drought conditions and seasonal increases in demand. As demand increases we are appealing to the public to redouble their efforts in conserving water in the home, in the garden, at work and on the farm, especially during the busy months of July and August. 

"This applies particularly to tourist hotspots in popular coastal regions and tourist destinations throughout the country of which we are lucky to have so many and where large influxes of visitors are expected.

"As rivers, lakes and groundwater levels reduce through the summer and autumn period, there is less water available for supply, while at the same time the warmer weather gives rise to increased water demands for domestic, agricultural and leisure uses.

"There are lots of helpful tips for conserving water on water.ie but the key things are to leave the hose and the pressure washer in the shed; don't use paddling pools; reuse household water for the garden; and take shorter showers. Safeguarding the supply of water is essential at this time when handwashing and hygiene is of critical importance. We are calling on everyone to play their part."

Uisce Éireann 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. Night time restrictions and urgent appeals for conservation have been made in a number of locations across the country including Portlaoise, Enniscorthy and Donegal to ensure a consistent day time supply for all. While the public are being asked to conserve, there are currently no plans to implement a Water Conservation Order.

Tom continued: "In Uisce Éireann, we are continually working with our local authority partners to look at what we call the supply/demand balance. This means that we need to ensure that we can supply more treated drinking water than is required for use. We can manage this by conserving water; losing less by repairing leaks; and supplying smarter by ensuring that all of our plants are working optimally.

"We can all work together to protect our supplies and safeguard our water for essential usage."

With the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the public are reminded to adhere to public health and HSE advice, and handwashing and hygiene remain critically important.

Further water conservation information is available on our Conservation section.

Uisce Éireann continues to work at this time with our Local Authority partners, contractors and others to safeguard the health and well-being of staff and the public and to ensure the continuity of drinking water and wastewater services.