Uisce Éireann to impose ‘hosepipe ban’ on Cork county from Saturday

Uisce Éireann has confirmed that a water conservation order, also known as a hosepipe ban, will come into effect for Co Cork — excluding Cork city — from Saturday, July 26.

The order will be in effect for seven and half weeks until September 16.

The order prohibits the use of garden hosepipes and other non essential use of water by domestic users and commercial premises for non-commercial activities.

Also in place for Tipperary, Waterford, and Wexford, these latest water conservation orders have been issued with the aim of safeguarding water supplies for essential purposes, following a sharp increase in demand across these counties since the start of the summer.

In recent weeks, Uisce Éireann has been putting in place a number of measures to maintain and protect supplies. These include enhanced leakage repair works, tankering to reservoirs, pressure management, and public water conservation campaigns, in an effort to reduce demand to sustainable levels.

Uisce Éireann asset strategy manager Mairead Conlon said the top priority is to protect water supply for use in homes, businesses and essential services. “The past 12 months have been drier than normal when compared to the long-term average. And while recent rainfall has brought some respite, it will take much longer for all our supplies to recover.

“The situation is compounded by recent increased demand in the south of the country which is associated with warm weather and other factors such as tourist activity in some areas”, Ms Conlan said.

“We are reminding all customers to be mindful of their use of water so that supplies can be protected, especially in areas where water resources are under pressure. As we enter late summer, warmer weather creates a surge in demand for water, for gardening, leisure, and other purposes.

“There are lots of helpful tips for conserving water on water.ie, but the key messages are to leave the hose and the pressure washer in the shed; reuse household water for the garden, and take shorter showers. We are calling on everyone to play their part so we can maintain supplies into the summer.”

Uisce Éireann is appealing to all customers, regardless of whether their supply is covered by a water conservation order, to be mindful of their use of water.

To help people learn more about saving water, it has developed a conservation calculator, so the public can work out how much water they are currently saving and how they can conserve more.

Members of the public can report leaks in the public water network by contacting Uisce Éireann 24/7 at 1800-278-278, or on its website.