Public reminded to check for leaks as rapid thaw follows freezing weather

19 January 2024

Uisce Éireann is appealing to the public to report leaks and help reduce demand as water use across the Dublin area reaches record levels this week.

With the freezing temperatures of recent days set to be replaced by much milder conditions at the weekend, the rapid thaw is expected to lead to a further increase in leaks and bursts throughout the network. Uisce Éireann has deployed additional crews to fix these leaks as they arise.  

The public can help too by checking any property under their responsibility for burst pipes and leaks, and reporting leaks in public areas so they can be prioritised for repair. In particular, people are asked not to leave taps running and to fix dripping or leaking taps.

Regional Operations Manager Stephen Burke said: “This week, daily demand in the Greater Dublin Area was the second highest in living memory at almost 630 million litres per day. This is an increase of approximately 15 million litres per day since last week and almost 40 million litres more than this time last year."

“Water is a precious resource that must go through a complex and costly treatment process before it is safe to drink. While there are sufficient levels in our raw water reservoirs, demand is now at or near the capacity of what the city’s water treatment plants can produce on a daily basis. Our crews are on the ground working to tackle leaks and maximise our treatment capacity and we are asking the public for their support to help reduce the overall demand by preventing avoidable loss of water and conserving water.”

There are a number of key things that the public can do to help protect water supplies, including: 

• Check your home, business premises and unoccupied premises for leaks and get them fixed.
• Report any leaks you see in the public network via water.ie or the Uisce Éireann customer care centre, so that we can prioritise and dispatch crews to carry out critical repairs.
• Don’t leave taps running and fix any dripping taps inside or outside your property.
• Be mindful of water use in your business and look for opportunities to make savings. This can save businesses money, not only in their water bills but also in their energy costs as heating, pumping water etc. all require additional electricity.
• If you have a suspected leak on your external water supply pipe, consider applying for the First Fix Free Scheme. The scheme offers a free leak investigation and free repair for eligible domestic customers. 

Stephen Burke added: “We would like to thank everyone who has been calling in to report leaks, and the crews who have been carrying out repairs all week. We are working across the Dublin area to ramp up our leakage repair programme and other network works to ensure that we can continue to provide adequate water supplies to meet the growing demand. The public and businesses can also help to keep demand to sustainable levels. There are lots of simple things that people can do to help protect our water supplies and keep demand at manageable levels." 

“You can also find lots of useful water saving tips on our website www.water.ie/conserve. This also includes an easy-to-use conservation calculator so you can work out how much water you are currently saving and how to conserve even more.”

Customers can get information on water supply issues in their local area by entering their location on our Supply and Service Updates section or by following Uisce Éireann on X and Facebook. The customer care centre is available 24/7 at 1800 278 278.