| | | You are here:Home>>News Items>>Water levels to remain low, warns council | | | | Water levels to remain low, warns council | DUBLIN CITY Council last night warned that it could take as long as three to four months for the city’s water supply to return to its normal level. The council said supplies were running critically low because a number of water mains burst during the cold snap and that it could still be a number of days before the full extent of the problem became clear.
Similar problems were experienced across the country yesterday, with about 2,000 homes in Co Kilkenny and 1,500 in Co Cork losing supply. Further restrictions aimed at conserving supplies were last night in place in counties Limerick, Clare and Wexford.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley said people who wasted water while supplies were low risked depriving their neighbours and urged the public to resist the temptation to run taps in an effort to prevent frozen pipes.
| | | | “Please be aware that by doing that you could be depriving your neighbour of a precious supply of water . . . please continue with that vigilance and be aware that we have to conserve water in this very difficult time,” he said. |
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| | | Mr Gormley said demand for water remained very high even though the pressure had been reduced. “I cannot over-stress the need for water conservation.”
Local authorities were working “flat out” to fix burst pipes, he said, although reduced pressure made leaks more difficult to detect. Mr Gormley also insisted he had ensured record investment in water infrastructure despite the bleak economic situation.
Meanwhile, Dublin City Council said most areas of the city experienced some level of supply yesterday but that it could not guarantee significant levels of water pressure in any area.
Tankers were deployed to provide extra water at 15 points in the most heavily affected areas of the city such as Cabra, Finglas, Terenure, Rathgar, Coolock, Santry and Artane.
A spokesman said it was difficult to say when normal service would be restored in the city, which uses 540 million litres of water a day, but that it could take a long time. “It could be three to four months before the supply comes back to a sufficient capacity,” he said. “There are still critically low supply levels and issues with mains bursting.”
Dublin City Council has deployed teams to investigate the source of leaks and said a huge volume of water had already returned to the system.
The spokesman said how soon reservoirs refilled depended on locating these leaks as well as on community behaviour.
“We would still urge people to conserve water. They can make a huge contribution by deferring washing machine and dish water usage, washing food in basins and avoiding leaving taps running under any circumstances.”
Chambers Ireland said the water crisis highlighted the need for water meters and charges to be introduced for all users as a matter of urgency. It said taps would not have been left running for prolonged periods if people were paying for the resource.
“The cost of providing Ireland’s ‘free’ public water supply for domestic users currently stands at €1.2 billion. If we are to protect this precious resource, then all users must be conscious of how they use it,” Chambers Ireland deputy chief executive Seán Murphy said.
| | | | | | Reproduced courtesy of www.irishtimes.com - STEVEN CARROLL and MARY MINIHAN |
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