Announcement today by Irish Water that water pressure will be reduced in Dublin, and parts of Wicklow, Kildare and Meath, from 7pm this evening ( Monday 5th March).
The restrictions will be in place in these areas at night for ‘the foreseeable future’, according to Irish Water.
This action is being taken to help reservoir levels to recover, following high demand for water over the weekend, due to Storm Emma. Irish Water said there was a 10% increase in water demand in the Greater Dublin Area between Friday and Sunday.
In a note issued to County Kildare Chamber this afternoon, Irish Water said: “Despite having our plants working at peak output, storage of water in the reservoirs was significantly depleted. Demand is continuing to rise and our reservoir levels continue to drop. There is not enough water in our reservoirs to meet the current levels of demand. As a result, Irish Water will reduce water pressure from 7pm tonight (Monday 5th March) to 7am tomorrow (Tuesday 6 March), when supply will begin to return to normal levels. This is essential to allow our reservoirs to refill as repairs to bursts and leaks are underway. Hospitals on the network will be prioritised and have water diverted to them. Irish Water need to reduce water pressure in order to minimise the impact on homes and businesses and in a bid to avoid widespread outages. Irish Water, working with local authorities, is reviewing the situation on an hourly basis. Irish Water is appealing to homeowners and businesses to conserve water at this time. Advice on how to do so is available on water.ie. Any visible leaks should be reported to Irish Water on 1850 278 278.”