Residents in counties Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow are being urged by Uisce Éireann to reduce their water consumption this bank holiday weekend to avoid widespread outages.
Three areas of Kildare will experience water outages as the national water utility conducts “complex and critical” repair works to the main pipeline servicing the Greater Dublin Area. The works are due to begin late on Friday.
While reservoirs have been filled to ensure minimal disruption to most people in the region, Uisce Éireann is asking householders to avoid unnecessary consumption to maximise the time technicians have to repair the pipeline.
When is the water supply in Kildare, Dublin and Wicklow likely to be affected?
The works are scheduled to begin at 10pm on Friday, with interruptions expected to occur from then until 3am on Sunday.
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Will my water just be reduced or will I have nothing for that period?
Just under 1,000 people living in Kill, Arthurstown, Rathmore, Athgoe and Tipperkevin in Kildare will experience an outage. Alternative water supplies are being provided in Rathmore National School and Kill Equestrian Centre in Newtown.
However, most people in Dublin and Wicklow will not experience an effect to their supply unless water levels become too low too quickly, an Uisce Éireann spokesperson said. Residents may experience low water pressure and discoloured water.
How should I prepare for the water interruption?
People in the most affected areas of Kildare are asked to use water only for essential needs to help maintain everyone’s supply.
Households there are advised to ensure they have enough drinking water by filling jugs of water and storing them in the fridge before the affected period.
Uisce Éireann is also asking people to turn off all preprogrammed appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines, particularly overnight on Saturday and Sunday as these machines may empty a household’s tank.
Residents of Dublin and Wicklow are asked to avoid unnecessary water usage such as hosing a lawn, washing a car with a hose, power-hosing, filling up paddling pools or taking a bath instead of a shower.
“Reducing your water use will help maintain or extend water supply during the repairs for yourself and importantly for vulnerable and high-risk users including hospitals and care homes,” Uisce Éireann regional operations manager Stephen Burke said.
Will there be backup water supplies?
Uisce Éireann has ensured all water reservoirs in the region are filled before works begin on the pipeline. It said most homes and businesses had on-site water storage as a backup water source for sanitation purposes.
Why are these works needed now?
The national water utility has identified several leaks and sections at risk of failing in the main pipeline connecting Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant and the Saggart Reservoir. They say the works planned for this weekend will safeguard water supplies for the Greater Dublin Area into the future.
Uisce Éireann said the works had been planned for the bank holiday weekend because demand for water was typically lower than usual.
Why do the works cause supply disruption?
These planned repair works will put increased pressure on the supply of drinking water as main water supplies will be temporarily cut off between Saggart Reservoir and Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant.
While the water is off, technicians will enter the pipeline to repair five active leaks. Another team will replace 35 metres of worn-out pipeline with a new section of pipe.
Uisce Éireann’s programme manager, Declan Healy, said the organisation had “extensively planned and prepared for carrying out these complex works over the last nine months”.
The service said the repair crews had a “very tight deadline to finish the repairs and refill the pipeline with water”.
How can I save water?
Uisce Éireann said customers across the Greater Dublin Area could help to avoid water outages for themselves and others by reducing water consumption.
It suggested shortening showers by a minute, which could save up to seven litres of water, and always ensuring dishwashers and washing machines were fully loaded.
In the longer term, it said water can be saved by installing a smaller flush in a toilet cistern, while homes and businesses should be checked for leaks.
