Uisce Éireann extends Water Conservation Order for Mullingar supply

Uisce Éireann has announced an extension of the Water Conservation Order (commonly referred to as a hosepipe ban) for the Mullingar Regional Public Water Supply.

The order remains in effect for an additional seven weeks, until Monday August 4.

The Conservation Order was issued on May 6 in a bid to safeguard the water supply for essential purposes.

The supply is sourced from Lough Owel and serves 50,000 customers.

Despite heavy rainfall in recent times, it would take several weeks of sustained rainfall to allow Lough Owel, which remains critically lower than previously recorded at this time of year, to recover to normal levels.

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.

The implementation of the initial Order in early May followed a long period of dry weather over autumn, winter and spring, combined with steady demand, as a result of which the water supply at Lough Owel, has come under severe stress.

Lough Owel is a spring-fed lake and any rain that falls today will take a number of months to filter through soils and bedrock before it gets to the lake.

It is essential that the Water Conservation Order remains in place for the Mullingar Regional Public Water Supply to reduce the potential of restrictions and outages over the course of the summer.

Uisce Éireann has also increased its efforts to safeguard supply in Mullingar and the surrounding areas with a series of measures on leakage detection, pipe repair, and overall network management.

Crews have detected and repaired 147 leaks on the public network since November 2024, leading to savings of 708,000 litres per day.

These water savings are equivalent to the daily demand of 5,300 people or the daily requirements for Kinnegad, Kilbeggan, Multyfarnham and Raharney combined.

Uisce Éireann is also installing eight control valves at strategic points on the network, which reduce the likelihood of bursts and give better control of the network, also allowing reservoirs to recover at times of low demand.

Crews have also repaired seven major bursts in the network in the last fortnight alone.

Fionnuala Callery, regional technical operations manager for Uisce Éireann, stated: “Uisce Éireann would like to thank the people of Mullingar and the surrounding areas across Westmeath for their efforts to conserve water and protect the lake since we introduced the Water Conservation Order. Uisce Éireann’s top priority is to protect the water supply for use in homes, businesses and essential services.

“We will continue to analyse water consumption levels while the Water Conservation Order is in place. It is essential that our water supply is protected if we are to reduce the potential of restrictions and outages over the coming weeks and months.

“During this time, we are supporting and advising our commercial water users on water conservation and continuing their efforts to avoid unnecessary use. We’re also working with local farming organisations to support conservation efforts and recycle water where possible.”

Tips to help you conserve water

• Leak free: Check for running overflows and fix any dripping taps, cisterns or pipes

• Drop the hose: use a watering can to water your plants instead of a hose or sprinkler

• Don’t let the tap run: Brushing your teeth with the tap running can use up to a staggering 6 litres per minute. Brushing your teeth with the tap off will use a more modest 1 litre of water

• Shower vs Bath: Showers ùse up to half the amount of water as baths

• Less time: With the average shower using 7 litres of water per minute by turning your five minute shower into four minutes, you could save up to 7 litres of water per day!

• Fully loaded: Always ensure your dishwasher and washing machines are fully loaded. A modern washing machine uses approximately 65 litres of water per cycle while a dishwasher uses 20 litres. By ensuring they are fully loaded, not only will you conserve water but you will also reduce your energy bills

• Keep it cool: Keep a jug of water in the fridge instead of running the cold tap; this can save up to 10 litres a day

Find out how much water your family uses and how to improve it by checking out our conservation calculator at water.ie/calculator.