Water supplies in several areas of County Roscommon ‘under pressure’

Uisce Éireann is appealing to everyone in County Roscommon to be mindful of their use of water as the warm dry spell continues into this week. 

Water supplies in Boyle, Ardcarne, Cortober, Elphin, Strokestown, Ballyleague, Tarmonbarry, and surrounding areas are coming under pressure due to increased demand and reduced raw water resources, according to the utility company.

The appeal comes as over 20 supplies around the country are officially in drought status across counties Limerick, Kerry, Tipperary, Waterford, Cork, Clare, Galway, Donegal, Meath, Westmeath, Carlow, Waterford and Wexford.

These include three supplies where Water Conservation Orders have been in place since May 6th - Mullingar, Milford, and Kells-Oldcastle.

While there are no immediate plans to extend the hosepipe bans to other areas, Uisce Éireann says that it is monitoring all supplies closely and taking measures to maintain normal supplies through interventions such as tankering to reservoirs, nighttime restrictions and pressure management.

Uisce Eireann says that by taking some simple steps to conserve water at home, in the garden and at work, people can play their part in protecting local water supplies for themselves and their neighbours.

These include:

• Leave the hose and power washer in the shed and use a watering can for the garden. Running a hose for one hour uses the same amount of water as a family needs for a full day.

• If you need to wash your car, use a bucket and sponge instead of a hose or powerwasher.

• Don’t let the tap run: Brushing your teeth with the tap running can use up to six litres per minute. Brushing your teeth with the tap off will use a more modest one litre of water.

• Shower vs. Bath: The average bath uses 80 litres of water compared to an average shower using 49 litres in seven minutes. Switch your bath to a shower for a massive water saving.

• Less time: With the average shower using seven litres of water per minute by turning your five minute shower into four minutes, you could save up to seven litres of water per day.

• Fully loaded: Always ensure your dishwasher and washing machines are fully loaded. A modern washing machine uses approximately 65 litres of water per cycle while a dishwasher uses 20 litres. By ensuring they are fully loaded, not only will you conserve water but you will also reduce your energy bills.

 Margaret Attridge, Uisce Éireann’s Head of Water Operations, said that while the current sunny spell was very welcome, it had led to an increase in use of water across the country.

“Levels in many water sources are significantly lower than normal for this time of year following a drier-than-average autumn, winter and spring. On top of this, the recent spell of warm weather has led to an increase in demand across many of our supplies, putting further pressure on the network and reservoirs.

“We’re doing everything we can to protect and maintain supplies as we go through the summer but we’re also asking the public for their help by doing what they can to reduce their use. If everyone takes a few simple steps to reduce the volume used around the home and garden we can make our water go further and help maintain normal supplies," said  Ms Attridge.