Hosepipe ban extended until August in three areas
The hosepipe ban which has been in place in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Milford in Co Donegal and the Kells/Oldcastle areas of Co Meath since early May has been extended by another seven weeks.
It is set to remain in place until after the August Bank Holiday.
Uisce Éireann said while recent weeks have brought cooler and wetter weather, water supplies in several parts of the country remain under significant pressure.
Nationally, 21 supplies remain in drought status, and Uisce Éireann said it continues to monitor and manage these areas closely.
It said that it would take several weeks of sustained rainfall to allow affected water sources to recover to normal levels.
It said that forecasts also indicate a likely return to warmer, drier weather from next week, which could further increase demand and place additional strain on already stressed supplies.
"Although we've seen some welcome rainfall, the long-term effects of a dry autumn, winter and spring are still being felt" said Margaret Attridge, Head of Water Operations at Uisce Éireann.
"Some water sources have not recovered to sustainable levels, and so extending the water conservation order is necessary to protect these vulnerable supplies" she added.
"Nationally there are 21 locations across the country which remain in drought status across counties Westmeath, Donegal, Meath, Cork, Clare, Galway, Waterford, Wexford, Tipperary, Offaly and Laois".
A water conservation order, commonly referred to as a hosepipe ban, prohibits the use of garden hosepipes and other non-essential uses of water by domestic users and commercial premises for non-commercial activities.
The prohibited water uses during the hosepipe ban include the use of water drawn through a hosepipe or similar apparatus for the purpose of:
Watering a garden
cleaning a private motor-vehicle using a domestic hosepipe
cleaning a private leisure boat
filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool (except when using hand-held containers filled directly from a tap)
filling or maintaining a domestic pond (excluding fish ponds)
filling or maintaining an ornamental fountain (with the exception of such use for commercial purposes)
filling or replenishing an artificial pond, lake or similar application.
The conservation order, which was issued initially on 6 May, will remain in place until Monday, 4 August.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
13-06-2025
- Irish Independent
Seven week extension to hosepipe ban on supply in Donegal
The order will now remain in effect for an additional seven weeks, until Monday, August 4, 2025. The order only applies to customers supplied by the public water supply in Milford, Kerrykeel, Ramelton, and not the rest of the county. The Water Conservation Order prohibits the use of garden hosepipes and other non-essential uses of water by domestic users and commercial premises for non-commercial activities. This measure is essential to safeguard water supplies for homes, businesses, and essential services. While recent weeks have brought cooler and wetter weather, the water levels at Lough Colmcille, which supplies water to the Milford area, remain under severe pressure. Water levels at Lough Colmcille remain lower than previously recorded at this time of year and it is expected, based on the typical trend for this time of year, that water levels will decrease for the summer period. It is considered that significant levels of rainfall over a prolonged period of time are required for this source to recover. Forecasts also indicate a likely return to warmer, drier weather from next week, which could further increase demand and place additional strain on an already stressed supply. Uisce Éireann's Water Network Operations Manager for Donegal, Damien O'Sullivan, said Uisce Éireann's top priority is to protect the water supply for use in homes, businesses and essential services. 'I'd like to thank the communities in Milford, Ramelton and Kerrykeel for adhering to the Water Conservation Order and urge them to continue to adhere to the order over the next seven weeks. "We appreciate too the efforts of the public in reporting leaks to us and continuing their efforts to conserve water. "Despite this collective effort and the recent rainfall in the area, Lough Colmcille remains under severe pressure and water levels in the lake remain lower than usual for this time of year. "This is due to significantly reduced rainfall over the past six months, combined with a noticeable increase in water demand in Milford over the past couple of years as a result of growth in the area,' said Mr O'Sullivan. While it may often feel like Ireland gets plenty of rain, the data shows the country experienced an unseasonably warm and dry autumn and winter. As a result, Lough Colmcille has not had its usual seasonal recharge, and is now in the summer months with lower-than-average water levels. Mr O'Sullivan continued, 'In response, we have increased our efforts in leakage detection, pipe repair, and overall network management. "We have taken a number of steps to reduce demand and we are continuing to supplement Milford from nearby supplies to allow for Lough Colmcille to replenish. "Due to this, there has been a 40% reduction in abstraction from Lough Colmcille since last October. "We have also deployed extra resources to finding and fixing critical leaks in the water network and conducted a public information campaign aimed at raising awareness of the importance of water conservation year-round,' said Mr O'Sullivan.
The Irish Sun
13-06-2025
- The Irish Sun
Hosepipe ban for thousands of Irish extended for 7 MORE weeks as exact towns slapped with order revealed
AS we come into summer, Uisce Eireann is pleading with households and business to be mindful of their use of water supplies facing major pressure. And homeowners in three rural towns have had their hosepipe ban extended for a further seven more weeks due to falling reservoir levels. 2 Water supplies remain under significant pressure across Ireland Credit: Alamy All of Ireland has seen lower than average Despite a small break in the last couple of weeks where heavy showers emerged briefly, it could take several weeks of sustained rainfall for affected water sources to recover to normal levels. But the latest forecast indicates that it will be mostly dry next week with sunny spells and just isolated showers. Uisce Eireann confirmed that a Water Conservation Order will remain in place for another seven weeks in Mullingar, Co READ MORE IRISH NEWS And the ban is now set to remain in place until after the August Bank Holiday. Officials said that another 21 supplies remain in drought status across the country. Uisce Eireann added that they are monitoring and managing these areas closely. MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN Margaret Attridge, Head of Water Operations at Uisce Éireann said: "Although we've seen some welcome rainfall, the long-term effects of a dry autumn, winter and spring are still being felt. "Some water sources have not recovered to sustainable levels, and so extending the water conservation order is necessary to protect these vulnerable supplies. "Nationally there are 21 locations across the country which remain in drought status across counties Westmeath, Donegal, Meath, Cork, Clare, Galway, Waterford, Wexford, Tipperary, Offaly and Laois." The Water Conservation Order was previously issued on May 6 and will remain in place until August 4. The Water Conservation Order prohibits the use of garden hosepipes and other non-essential uses of water by domestic users and commercial premises for non-commercial activities, for example watering gardens attached to a business premises. HOUSEPIPE BAN The temporary ban include the use of water drawn through a hosepipe or similar device for the purpose of: Watering a garden cleaning a private motor-vehicle using a domestic hosepipe cleaning a private leisure boat filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool (except when using hand-held containers filled directly from a tap) filling or maintaining a domestic pond (excluding fish ponds) filling or maintaining an ornamental fountain (with the exception of such use for commercial purposes) filling or replenishing an artificial pond, lake or similar application. This Order has been issued in a bid to safeguard these water supplies for essential purposes. This is necessary due to a sharp drop in water levels at the sources supplying these areas following a dryer-than-average autumn, winter and spring. Uisce Eireann are asking everyone to play their part in conserving water and reporting leaks to help alleviate the pressure on water supplies. There are tips for conserving water on 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. They are calling on every- one to play a part so we can maintain supplies into the summer. 2 Homeowners in three rural towns will be hit with a hosepipe ban for seven more weeks due to falling reservoir levels Credit: Alamy Live News
RTÉ News
12-06-2025
- RTÉ News
Hosepipe ban extended until August in three areas
The hosepipe ban which has been in place in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Milford in Co Donegal and the Kells/Oldcastle areas of Co Meath since early May has been extended by another seven weeks. It is set to remain in place until after the August Bank Holiday. Uisce Éireann said while recent weeks have brought cooler and wetter weather, water supplies in several parts of the country remain under significant pressure. Nationally, 21 supplies remain in drought status, and Uisce Éireann said it continues to monitor and manage these areas closely. It said that it would take several weeks of sustained rainfall to allow affected water sources to recover to normal levels. It said that forecasts also indicate a likely return to warmer, drier weather from next week, which could further increase demand and place additional strain on already stressed supplies. "Although we've seen some welcome rainfall, the long-term effects of a dry autumn, winter and spring are still being felt" said Margaret Attridge, Head of Water Operations at Uisce Éireann. "Some water sources have not recovered to sustainable levels, and so extending the water conservation order is necessary to protect these vulnerable supplies" she added. "Nationally there are 21 locations across the country which remain in drought status across counties Westmeath, Donegal, Meath, Cork, Clare, Galway, Waterford, Wexford, Tipperary, Offaly and Laois". A water conservation order, commonly referred to as a hosepipe ban, prohibits the use of garden hosepipes and other non-essential uses of water by domestic users and commercial premises for non-commercial activities. The prohibited water uses during the hosepipe ban include the use of water drawn through a hosepipe or similar apparatus for the purpose of: Watering a garden cleaning a private motor-vehicle using a domestic hosepipe cleaning a private leisure boat filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool (except when using hand-held containers filled directly from a tap) filling or maintaining a domestic pond (excluding fish ponds) filling or maintaining an ornamental fountain (with the exception of such use for commercial purposes) filling or replenishing an artificial pond, lake or similar application. The conservation order, which was issued initially on 6 May, will remain in place until Monday, 4 August.
