Customers in Clogh, Castlecomer and Gurteen urged to conserve water as demand for water increases

Uisce Éireann is appealing to communities across Kilkenny to be mindful of their water usage as increased domestic and commercial demand is being exacerbated by warm weather conditions. 

Working in partnership with Kilkenny County Council, Uisce Éireann has been working hard to maintain reservoir levels and to ensure a consistent supply of water to homes and businesses. Following essential works at Clogh and Gurteen Water Treatment Plants yesterday, local reservoirs levels have depleted to unsafe levels. As a result and to help water levels refill to a satisfactory standard, an overnight restriction is required tonight, Friday 2 June from 7pm until 1pm tomorrow. During this time, customers in Clogh, Castlecomer, Gurteen, Clooneen and surrounding areas will experience low pressure and/or outages. It can take two to three hours following low pressure for normal supply to be fully restored to all areas as water refills the network. 

Speaking about conserving water, Uisce Éireann's Regional Asset Operations Lead, James O'Toole said: "We are appealing to customers across Kilkenny and in particular those supplied by Clogh and Gurteen Water Treatment Plants to conserve water to give the reservoirs time to replenish. We have had a very dry period and with the warmer weather currently being experienced and more forecasted, supplies will come under further pressure. Any reduction that customers can make in their usage can collectively result in significant supply improvements for all customers. I would ask that everyone in Kilkenny play their part to help conserve water this summer. "

"While we enjoy the sunshine it is important that we all consider our water usage and look at simple yet impactful ways to conserve water. It can sometimes be difficult to know where to start, but even small changes can make a significant difference. By turning off the hose and avoiding power washing we can all help ensure there is enough water for everyone as we go through the summer."

For more simple ways to conserve water check out the Uisce Éireann website where our Conservation Calculator can help people work out how much water they are currently saving and how they can conserve even more. 

Uisce Éireann will continue to monitor the levels at all our supplies over the coming weeks and months and take any actions that may be necessary to maintain supplies, including communicating about localised issues as they arise.

Members of the public can report any leaks in the public water network by contacting Uisce Éireann 24/7 at 1800 278 278 or on water.ie.

Uisce Éireann are asking the public to help play their part in protecting essential water supplies for their local communities.

There are a number of easy steps people can take to reduce their water usage during the hot weather, including: 

• Avoid power washing and keep the garden hose in the shed
• Check for leaks on outdoor taps or troughs as these can lead to large losses of treated water
• Remember that paddling pools and swimming pools can use huge volumes of water so try to minimise the amount of water used and consider reusing the water for the garden or cleaning the car.
• Report any visible leaks on the public network to Uisce Éireann at www.water.ie