FOLLOWING recent heavy
rainfall and improving river and ground water
conditions Irish Water has lifted the Water
Conservation Order, more commonly known as the
hosepipe ban, that was put in place on the 9th June.
The hosepipe ban was issued in a bid to safeguard
water supplies for essential purposes, in particular
water needed for sanitation purposes during the
COVID-19 crisis.
When the Water Conservation Order was issued, 27 of
Irish Water’s 900 drinking water schemes were in
drought with another 50 at risk of going into
drought. Thereafter the situation deteriorated
rapidly with the number of schemes in drought or at
risk of drought peaking at 98.
Thankfully from a water supply perspective over the
past couple of weeks there has been above average
rainfall in many areas of the country. This has
resulted in the recovery of some of the water
supplies that were in drought or at risk of drought.
Currently only 17 schemes remain in drought and a
further 61 are at risk. While the overall numbers
are trending downwards, the situation is not uniform
across the country and the recovery of some sources
is very fragile.
Commenting on the lifting of the Water Conservation
Order, the Managing Director of Irish Water Niall
Gleeson said, “Irish Water is continuing to monitor
the affected water sources as their recovery is
fragile and subject to change. We will continue to
liaise with Met Eireann, the OPW, the EPA and other
key stakeholders to discuss the impact of weather on
our sources. Should we enter a spell of prolonged
warm and dry weather, and if the sources go into
drought again, we may need to reconsider and
re-impose a Water Conservation Order. Safeguarding
the water supply for homes and communities across
the country is a critical priority for us." |
