Latest news with #MargaretAttridge
Irish Examiner
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Irish Examiner
Warning that water supplies are in drought status across several counties including Cork
Uisce Éireann has launched a national appeal to the public to conserve water, as it emerged supplies are now in drought status across several counties following a drier-than-normal autumn, winter and spring. As the country is set to enjoy a long spell of warm weather, the water utility revealed the network was already experiencing increased pressure on supplies across several regions, including Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Clare, Dublin, Galway, Donegal, Meath, Westmeath, and Wexford. "While Ireland experiences high levels of rainfall annually, much of this water is lost due to old water infrastructure that has suffered from historic under investment," a spokesperson said. "This highlights the need for investment in our water networks and also compounds the need for water conservation." Its tips to the public include: Leave the hose in the shed: Use a rose-head watering can to water plants instead of a hose or sprinkler. Running a hose for just one hour uses as much water as a family would typically need in an entire day; Bucket and sponge for your car: Using a bucket and sponge to wash your car can save hundreds of litres of water compared to using a hose or power washer; Turn off the tap: Brushing your teeth with the tap running wastes up to six litres of water per minute. Turning it off while brushing can reduce that to just one litre; Switch to a shower: Showers use about half the amount of water as baths. Invest in water saving appliances such as water-efficient taps and shower heads; Shorter showers: With the average shower using seven litres of water per minute, turning your five-minute shower into four minutes could save up to seven litres of water per day. Fully load your appliances: Always ensure your dishwasher and washing machine are fully loaded before use. A typical washing machine uses about 65 litres of water, and a dishwasher uses about 20 litres per cycle. By ensuring they are fully loaded, not only will you conserve water, but you will also reduce your energy bills. While the warmer weather is certainly a welcome change, it does place additional demands on our water supplies. That is why we are asking people to join us in making small changes in their own daily routine to help conserve water. "Simple steps can have a big impact in helping to maintain water reserves. Whether it is using a watering can in the garden, or turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, every individual action counts, and all adds up to making a positive contribution to benefit everyone,' said Uisce Éireann's head of water operations Margaret Attridge. Read More Irish weather: Azores High to bring hot conditions and highs of 28C
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Appeal to save water in Ireland due to 'pressure' in warm weather
A nationwide appeal has been issued to people in the Republic of Ireland to help protect the country's water supplies ahead of an expected spell of warm supplies are now in drought status across several counties in Éireann (Irish Water) said the water network is experiencing increased pressure on supplies across several regions including Donegal, Dublin, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Cork, Galway, Meath, Westmeath, Clare and conservation orders have been in place for Milford in County Donegal, Mullingar in County Westmeath and Kells-Oldcastle in County Meath since Water is also asking people to be mindful of water usage over the weekend. Forecasters are predicting a heatwave this weekend, with temperatures possibly reaching over 25C. Uisce Éireann said the aim of its appeal is to remind the public that saving water does not have to be difficult. 'Simple steps can have a big impact' "We're committed to ensuring a reliable water supply throughout the summer months, and the support of our customers is an important element to achieve this," Margaret Attridge, Uisce Éireann's head of water operations, said. "In the days and weeks ahead, we would appeal to customers to take the opportunity to really consider their water usage and reflect on the daily and easy actions they can take to play their part in ensuring our water resources are used wisely and in a way which benefits not only your own household but also the wider community." She said that "while the warmer weather is certainly a welcome change, it does place additional demands on our water supplies". Uisce Éireann has the following water saving tips for households: Water the garden with a watering can, not a hoseWash the car with a bucket and spongeTurn off the tap while brushing teethTake shorter showersEnsure appliances like dishwashers and washing machines are fully loaded Earlier in 2025 Irish weather service Met Éireann reported that rainfall was below average at most weather stations in the Republic during organisation also reported that autumn in 2024 was the 17th driest since records began in 1940. What is the water situation like in Northern Ireland? NI Water has said its reservoirs are in a "healthy position" for this time of year, with its overall storage sitting at 78%. However, a spokesperson said there is a concern that "sustained high temperatures can create a huge demand surge from lots of properties trying to use vast quantities of water at the same time". They said that if thousands of households try to "use large quantities of water at the same time, the treatment works and distribution system can begin to struggle to keep up with demand". "If you think of your own water use, you may be using more water intensive equipment, such as power hoses, sprinkler systems, large pools," the spokesperson said."If you couple that with the fact that a lot of people will be off work enjoying the bank holiday weekend, it can lead to a massive demand for water that our treatment works simply cannot supply."Ahead of the weekend, NI Water said businesses and households could consider putting off water intensive activities. Businesses that are closing up for the bank holiday weekend are asked to check their meters which can indicate if they have a leak on their property, ensure taps are off and that toilets are urinals are not leaking.
Irish Examiner
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Irish Examiner
'Leave the hose in the shed': Public urged to conserve water as supplies in drought status across Ireland
Uisce Éireann has launched a national appeal to the public to conserve water, as it emerged supplies are now in drought status across several counties following a drier-than-normal autumn, winter and spring. As the country is set to enjoy a long spell of warm weather, the water utility revealed the network was already experiencing increased pressure on supplies across several regions, including Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Clare, Dublin, Galway, Donegal, Meath, Westmeath, and Wexford. "While Ireland experiences high levels of rainfall annually, much of this water is lost due to old water infrastructure that has suffered from historic under investment," a spokesperson said. "This highlights the need for investment in our water networks and also compounds the need for water conservation." Its tips to the public include: Leave the hose in the shed: Use a rose-head watering can to water plants instead of a hose or sprinkler. Running a hose for just one hour uses as much water as a family would typically need in an entire day; Bucket and sponge for your car: Using a bucket and sponge to wash your car can save hundreds of litres of water compared to using a hose or power washer; Turn off the tap: Brushing your teeth with the tap running wastes up to six litres of water per minute. Turning it off while brushing can reduce that to just one litre; Switch to a shower: Showers use about half the amount of water as baths. Invest in water saving appliances such as water-efficient taps and shower heads; Shorter showers: With the average shower using seven litres of water per minute, turning your five-minute shower into four minutes could save up to seven litres of water per day. Fully load your appliances: Always ensure your dishwasher and washing machine are fully loaded before use. A typical washing machine uses about 65 litres of water, and a dishwasher uses about 20 litres per cycle. By ensuring they are fully loaded, not only will you conserve water, but you will also reduce your energy bills. While the warmer weather is certainly a welcome change, it does place additional demands on our water supplies. That is why we are asking people to join us in making small changes in their own daily routine to help conserve water. "Simple steps can have a big impact in helping to maintain water reserves. Whether it is using a watering can in the garden, or turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, every individual action counts, and all adds up to making a positive contribution to benefit everyone,' said Uisce Éireann's head of water operations Margaret Attridge. Read More Irish weather: Azores High to bring hot conditions and highs of 28C
The Irish Sun
13-06-2025
- Climate
- The Irish Sun
Hosepipe ban for thousands of Irish extended for 7 MORE weeks as exact towns slapped with order revealed
AS we come into summer, Uisce Eireann is pleading with households and business to be mindful of their use of water supplies facing major pressure. And homeowners in three rural towns have had their hosepipe ban extended for a further seven more weeks due to falling reservoir levels. 2 Water supplies remain under significant pressure across Ireland Credit: Alamy All of Ireland has seen lower than average Despite a small break in the last couple of weeks where heavy showers emerged briefly, it could take several weeks of sustained rainfall for affected water sources to recover to normal levels. But the latest forecast indicates that it will be mostly dry next week with sunny spells and just isolated showers. Uisce Eireann confirmed that a Water Conservation Order will remain in place for another seven weeks in Mullingar, Co READ MORE IRISH NEWS And the ban is now set to remain in place until after the August Bank Holiday. Officials said that another 21 supplies remain in drought status across the country. Uisce Eireann added that they are monitoring and managing these areas closely. MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN Margaret Attridge, Head of Water Operations at Uisce Éireann said: "Although we've seen some welcome rainfall, the long-term effects of a dry autumn, winter and spring are still being felt. "Some water sources have not recovered to sustainable levels, and so extending the water conservation order is necessary to protect these vulnerable supplies. "Nationally there are 21 locations across the country which remain in drought status across counties Westmeath, Donegal, Meath, Cork, Clare, Galway, Waterford, Wexford, Tipperary, Offaly and Laois." The Water Conservation Order was previously issued on May 6 and will remain in place until August 4. The Water Conservation Order prohibits the use of garden hosepipes and other non-essential uses of water by domestic users and commercial premises for non-commercial activities, for example watering gardens attached to a business premises. HOUSEPIPE BAN The temporary ban include the use of water drawn through a hosepipe or similar device for the purpose of: Watering a garden cleaning a private motor-vehicle using a domestic hosepipe cleaning a private leisure boat filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool (except when using hand-held containers filled directly from a tap) filling or maintaining a domestic pond (excluding fish ponds) filling or maintaining an ornamental fountain (with the exception of such use for commercial purposes) filling or replenishing an artificial pond, lake or similar application. This Order has been issued in a bid to safeguard these water supplies for essential purposes. This is necessary due to a sharp drop in water levels at the sources supplying these areas following a dryer-than-average autumn, winter and spring. Uisce Eireann are asking everyone to play their part in conserving water and reporting leaks to help alleviate the pressure on water supplies. There are tips for conserving water on but the key messages are to leave the hose and the pressure washer in the shed, reuse household water for the garden; and take shorter showers. They are calling on every- one to play a part so we can maintain supplies into the summer. 2 Homeowners in three rural towns will be hit with a hosepipe ban for seven more weeks due to falling reservoir levels Credit: Alamy Live News
RTÉ News
12-06-2025
- Climate
- RTÉ News
Hosepipe ban extended until August in three areas
The hosepipe ban which has been in place in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Milford in Co Donegal and the Kells/Oldcastle areas of Co Meath since early May has been extended by another seven weeks. It is set to remain in place until after the August Bank Holiday. Uisce Éireann said while recent weeks have brought cooler and wetter weather, water supplies in several parts of the country remain under significant pressure. Nationally, 21 supplies remain in drought status, and Uisce Éireann said it continues to monitor and manage these areas closely. It said that it would take several weeks of sustained rainfall to allow affected water sources to recover to normal levels. It said that 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. "Although we've seen some welcome rainfall, the long-term effects of a dry autumn, winter and spring are still being felt" said Margaret Attridge, Head of Water Operations at Uisce Éireann. "Some water sources have not recovered to sustainable levels, and so extending the water conservation order is necessary to protect these vulnerable supplies" she added. "Nationally there are 21 locations across the country which remain in drought status across counties Westmeath, Donegal, Meath, Cork, Clare, Galway, Waterford, Wexford, Tipperary, Offaly and Laois". A water conservation order, commonly referred to as a hosepipe ban, prohibits the use of garden hosepipes and other non-essential uses of water by domestic users and commercial premises for non-commercial activities. The prohibited water uses during the hosepipe ban include the use of water drawn through a hosepipe or similar apparatus for the purpose of: Watering a garden cleaning a private motor-vehicle using a domestic hosepipe cleaning a private leisure boat filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool (except when using hand-held containers filled directly from a tap) filling or maintaining a domestic pond (excluding fish ponds) filling or maintaining an ornamental fountain (with the exception of such use for commercial purposes) filling or replenishing an artificial pond, lake or similar application. The conservation order, which was issued initially on 6 May, will remain in place until Monday, 4 August.
