Overnight water restrictions required in Skibbereen and surrounding areas in Co. Cork

Information below is relevant until further updates are provided here or on our Supply and Service Updates section

Uisce Éireann wish to advise customers in Skibbereen and surrounding areas that overnight water restrictions are necessary to conserve supply. The overnight restrictions are required to enable the recovery of levels in reservoirs in the region and to ensure water supply to industries, schools, residences and commercial premises during business hours.

Due to the detection of ammonia levels in the River Illen, the Ballyhilty Water Treatment Plan shut down last night to ensure that drinking water quality was not compromised. The water treatment plant is now fully compliant and back in operation but the storage capacity of reservoirs in the locality remains critically low. In order to boost reservoir levels, an overnight restriction is required from 7pm, Thursday 13 March until 9am, Friday 14 March. The areas impacted include Skibbereen, Baltimore, Lisheen, Church Cross, Ballydehob and areas east of Schull.

The water supply will be restored to customers as the network refills. It can take a number of hours for the water to restore to customers on higher ground or at the end of the network once the water supply is turned back on.

Uisce Éireann are asking customers in the area to conserve water, where possible. Simple water conservation actions can have a significant impact on driving down demand on the supply. We are asking customers to conserve water by turning off the tap while brushing your teeth and shaving, which can save up to six litres of water per minute. Keeping a jug of water in the fridge instead of running the cold tap can save 10 litres of water per day. In the garden, we’re asking people to recycle water, such as water used in food preparation or washing up, for watering flowers and lawns. For more tips on how to reduce your water usage visit www.water.ie/conservation/.

Niall O’Riordan, Operations Manager, Uisce Éireann said: “We have been monitoring reservoir capacity in the region and by applying the overnight restriction, it will allow the critically low reservoirs the breathing space to fully replenish. We understand the inconvenience that restrictions may cause, and we would like to apologise to our customers and thank them for their patience.”

Our customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For updates, please see the water supply and services section of our website.