Irish Water Issue Water Conservation Appeal

Irish Water appeals to the public in the Greater Dublin Area to conserve water over the Christmas period as demand reaches record levels

Irish Water and Local Authorities in the Greater Dublin Area are appealing to customers to conserve water where possible in a bid to reduce water usage during the busy Christmas period as demand on drinking water reaches record levels. There has been a steady increase in demand over the past few weeks, as is normally the case prior to Christmas, and conserving water now will reduce the risk of restrictions on the water supply.

The current increase in demand is higher than any previous year and is 10 million litres a day, (enough water to fill Liberty Hall), higher than this time last year. As work continues on the old Leixlip Water Treatment Plant, water production capacity has been reduced and we are asking customers to help us manage demand while we replace filters and upgrade the plant.

Simple water conservation efforts can have a significant impact on driving down demand on the supply.  Irish Water is appealing to customers to conserve water through actions such as turning off the tap while brushing your teeth and shaving which can save up to 6 litres of water per minute. Keeping a jug of water in the fridge instead of running the cold tap can save 10 litres of water per day. For more tips on how to reduce your water usage please visit water.ie/conservation/

Speaking about the water supply in the GDA, John O Donoghue, Irish Water, said:

“Irish Water is appealing to the public to conserve water where possible and to only use what they need. We’ve seen demand creeping up in recent weeks and there is currently no headroom in the system. Safe, clean, treated water is not in unlimited supply and we all have to play a part in conserving it. During the drought last year, the conservation measures that people were taking in their homes and businesses helped to significantly reduce demand. However, when the urgency of a drought passes, and in the middle of winter, it is easy to lose focus on how precious water is. Our priority is to maintain the water supply and to avoid placing restrictions and in order to do this we need the public’s support. ”

“With our Local Authority partners, Irish Water is fixing leaks and upgrading the water supply system. As part of our leakage reduction programme, Irish Water has replaced almost 90km of water mains in the Greater Dublin Area since 2018, which is the equivalent of two M50s. Overall, we have seen a reduction in the leakage rate which now stands at 37% in the Dublin area.”

Irish Water is currently upgrading the Vartry Water Supply Scheme by building a new treatment plant and upgrading the treated water reservoir at Stillorgan, representing an investment of approximately €200 million. These upgrades are due to be completed in 2020.

At the Leixlip Water Treatment Plant, the old section of the plant is currently being upgraded on a phased basis. This process is being accelerated as quickly and safely as possible while still maintaining supply to the Greater Dublin Area.

To report a leak please contact Irish Water on 1850 278 278.

For more information on water conservation please visit www.water.ie/conservation