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IRISH WATER HAS said it is reviewing the need for the hosepipe ban that was put in place on 9 June after recent heavy rainfall and improving river and ground water conditions.
The ban was expected to remain in place until 21 July. Irish Water said it was issued in a bid to safeguard water supplies for essential purposes, in particular water needed for sanitation purposes during the Covid-19 crisis.
It said very dry weather was expected in June and July and at the time it was introduced, 27 of its drinking water schemes were in drought, with another 50 at risk.
Met Eireann confirmed that May 2020 was the driest since 1850 and continued dry weather was forecast.
However recent rainfall has resulted in the recovery of some water supplies that were in drought or at risk. Currently only 22 schemes remain in drought and a further 63 are at risk. While the overall numbers are trending downwards, the situation is not uniform across the country.
Early next week Irish Water will again meet with Met Eireann, the OPW, the EPA and other key stakeholders to discuss the impact of the recent rainfall with consideration to lifting or partially lifting the Water Conservation Order.
Managing director of Irish Water Niall Gleeson said it is still essential that members of the public continue to conserve water and form good household habits at this time.
“Any non-essential use of water should be discouraged, whether we are in a drought or not.
“We would like to thank the public for their efforts in conserving water in their homes and gardens over the past number of weeks and our large water users who have worked proactively with us to use water more efficiently in their businesses.”
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Whohoo! That should mean a return of the heatwave. It’s rained since they announced the hosepipe ban.
@lelookcoco: problem is, once there’s a hot day everyone pulls out their supersized paddling pools that are nearly the size of a full swimming pool and we are back to square one.
@Motherofthree: Do you have an oversized swimming pool? Where can I get one?
@Motherofthree: agreed, on 98FM some dad said he spent 4 hours every day filling his kids pool. Always be a few nonces taking the p
@Jack Cass: aldi and lidl were selling them during the hosepipe ban
How much will that review cost?
@Kieran Stafford: About 10 brown envelopes.
@Paul Mcnevin: I believe politicians have copped that the public are aware of ‘brown envelopes’, so they’ve moved to Manila Envelopes, to throw us off……….cute hoors.
@Kieran Stafford: Eh this is part of their normal operations. They monitor water tables\reservoirs/etc continuously for capacity planning.
It’s an expected operating cost. Did you think the body responsible for the water network wouldn’t perform reviews of their network?
@Fergus: eh did you really think he was being serious?
@King B: To be fair you wouldn’t know with the general level of commentary on this site.
The wettest country in Western Europe.like telling the Arabs to conserve sand in the desert.
@tuco: why don’t you just drink it straight from rivers and puddles?
Because rain falling is only half the story it still needs to be gathered treated and delivered to your tap as a food quality product. That takes time for water sources to replenish and lots of money.
@john doe: and Every cost in water cost is due to neglect by previous governments spending money on themselves to stay in power not our fault if government didn’t assign money to fixing the pipes cause we paid for it to be done and they ran it into the ground literally,why should we pay again or is all the government talk about consumer rights more bull
@john doe: I have my own well that I pay myself thank you very much
@Gerard Heery: So if we fixed all the leaks there wouldn’t be any further costs ? That’s like saying I’ll buy a car but won’t have to maintain it or put fuel in it.
@Alan Dillon: the cost now would be under control within budgeted ,and not be a crisis run by a PR company that pops up at any opportunity to make itself accountable for it’s Audi’s , yes your nuddle
@Gerard Heery: and where does this said budget come from..
@Over the top: from the car tax and VAT that was added in budgets years ago to pay for water, probably too young to remember, that why you need wise heads around so you won’t be fooled into paying twice
@john doe: which we pay for through general taxation
@tuco: its amazing how people are so gullible to believe Irish water in the first place, they continue with this spiel of cost and use the publicity of a hose pipe ban to strengthen their hand in trying to wrestle funds from the populace, the rivers and lakes are bursting their banks, landslides in Leitrim could you imagine if the people allowed this quango the right to charge for water.We pay for water treatment in our taxes and the network is financed by industry and god above provides the rain.
Didn’t matter with all the rain we’ve got. Never needed to use it
About bloody time: three weeks ago the reservoir for Cork City and County was full!!!!!
@Carol Cunningham: Sssshhh Carol. Don’t let the cat out of the bag. They’ll never impose water charges if people keep pointing out that there’s plenty of water in the reservoirs.
@The Risen: the tinfoil is strong in you…
@Canyon: No he is dead right all these hose pipe bans are nonsense, and nobody takes any notice of them anymore
@paul johnson: I haven’t seen anyone use a hosepipe
@Carol Cunningham:What reservoir serves the city AND county? And proof that this mega reservoir was full 3 weeks ago, please .
Looks like they’re desperately trying to stay relevant lol
Pure undiluted Muck from the quango over at Irish Water . Fix the leaks then get back to us otherwise jog on ..
200mm in the nw in June and july. I ignored their “ban”
@ed w: fair play to you. You showed them. No-one can stop you using your hose in the lashings of rain.
Who cares what Irish Water thinks. That quango has no legitimacy.
@Cookie: It has. It was set up be a democratically elected government.
I thought it didn’t fall from the sky
@Niamh O’Galvin: treated water doesn’t fall from the sky
@talksense: ya true they dirty up the pure h20 thay falls from the sky with chemicals.
Ha ha reviewing the ban are they lol
@Jonny: they’ll need €48,000,000,000 to hire two consultants, to perform the review……….
@Peter ‘Nocky’ Naughnane: will they still get the Covid payment ?
Fix the pipes!!! Everything should come second to that.
The costs of fixing pipes which should have been first priority has been far exceeded by the cost of setting this company up and the water meter fiasco !!!
Referendum held on ownership by the state always, along with pipes fixed and most ppl wouldn’t mind paying a maintenance cost.
The Irish people saw through this from the start, an attempt to give away ownership to a private entity.
Country owes Catherine Murphy a debt.
@Richie: absolutely!
@Richie: Agreed, though the one issue is most of us are already paying a maintenance cost. Most of my €710 road tax per year is being squandered.
@Sean O’ Donovan: you must be the only one in the country paying road tax
@ritchie if all the pipes were fixed, would you pay water rates?
As one Fine Gaelger said water doesn’t fall from the sky ffs!
O ok so! Ha ha ha
There was 3 months with little rain there was good reason for a ban. Few heavy showers just dosnt replenish all reservoirs, lakes and soil.
@Yun Wyn: the reservoirs weren’t that empty down south here anyway
THEY MUST BE VERY DISAPPOINTED
@Pauline Fedigan: No need to SHOUT!
Only in oirlint!!
I’m getting me hosepipe out!
We should have introduced water charges. However the hard left were agin it (as they were with property tax, the most progressive tax of all). The green agenda might change the hard left’s tune however. Or maybe not because they never, ever learn
@Virgil: On the contrary the left and everyone else have learned that this was a giant quango right from the start. The people will never accept this quango and the sooner this govt realize this the better otherwise hundreds of thousands will be back on the streets.
Laughing stock of de country
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