People in West Cork asked to take some simple steps to conserve water over the summer months
27 June 2022
Uisce Éireann is appealing to the people of West Cork to be mindful of their water usage over the summer months as the increased domestic and commercial demand during the busy summer period is being exacerbated by warm weather and the widespread emergence of drought conditions.
Since March, Uisce Éireann has been carefully monitoring all raw water sources in County Cork, that is the water from lakes, rivers, springs and ground sources that feed our water treatment plants. Last week, a spring supply serving the village of Coppeen ran dry.
Other areas in West Cork, such as Bantry, Durrus, Goleen, Crookhaven, Clonakilty, Skibbereen and Glengarriff are being closely monitored. Depending on the supply source, levels in lakes, rivers and ground water sources have run low. Reservoir storage levels are below optimum.
Speaking about conserving water, Uisce Éireann’s Regional Operations Lead Niall O’Riordan said,
“We are appealing to residents and businesses in West Cork to be mindful of water usage as we have had a very dry period recently. West Cork is a beautiful and busy place at the best of times, but in the summer it is even busier. Many people will be outdoors a lot more, watering the garden or washing cars etc. We are just asking people to be sensible about how they use their water so that we have enough for everyone to use during the daytime and that the businesses of West Cork can continue to operate as normal."
It’s important to that we all consider our water usage and look at simple yet impactful ways to conserve water in the home. It can sometimes be difficult to know where to start, but even small changes can make a significant difference – and we can all play our part. To help people do this we have developed an easy-to-use conservation calculator so they can work out how much water they are currently saving and how they can conserve even more. The free Water Conservation Calculator is available on the Uisce Éireann website where you can also find lots of useful water saving tips.
“We will continue to work with our colleagues in Cork County Council to monitor and manage supplies across the county to ensure the people in the area have a safe and reliable water supply throughout the summer.”
The Uisce Éireann customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For updates, please visit the Supply and Service Updates section of the Uisce Éireann website. Uisce Éireann and Cork County Council regret any inconvenience caused.
Uisce Éireann is responsible for the delivery of all public water and wastewater services in Ireland. We are committed to continuously upgrading and developing critical infrastructure to support the growth needed in housing and across our economy, while protecting the environment and safeguarding water supplies.