Water restrictions in Ballinagh
Uisce Éireann is advising customers in Ballinagh and the surrounding areas that nighttime water restrictions will come into effect from tonight (Thursday) in order to protect daytime supply.
The restrictions will be in effect between 11pm and 7am and will remain in place into the weekend.
The ongoing spell of warm, dry weather has seen a significant increase in demand for treated water. This has placed severe pressure on the treatment capacity of the Ballyjamesduff Regional Water Supply Scheme, which supplies Ballinagh and the surrounding areas.
The nighttime restrictions are necessary to protect supplies of treated water and ensure a continuous daytime supply for homes, businesses and essential services in the town.
Elsewhere in Co Cavan, nighttime restrictions remain in place on the Cavan Town Public Water Supply between 11pm and 7am. The nationwide Water Conservation Order will also come into effect for all counties, including Cavan, from 00.01am on Friday morning.
Peter Gallagher of Uisce Éireann thanked customers in Cavan for their ongoing efforts to conserve water during the current spell of dry weather.
“We want to acknowledge that customers have been playing their part in reducing non-essential water usage and conserving treated water where they can, and to thank them for those efforts,” said Peter.
“These restrictions in Ballinagh over the coming nights are essential in order for us to manage supplies of treated water and ensure a continuous daytime supply for homes, business and essential services in the town and its surrounding areas.”
Below are some simple water-saving tips everyone can follow, to help protect supplies:
- Leak free: Check that your home is leak free. Check for running overflows and fix any dripping taps, cisterns or pipes.
- Don’t let the tap run: Brushing your teeth with the tap running can use up to six litres per minute. Brushing your teeth with the tap off will use a more modest one litre of water.
- Shower vs. Bath: The average bath uses 80 litres of water, while a seven-minute shower uses just 49 litres. Switching to showers can save a significant amount of water.
- Drop the hose: Drop the hose during the summer months. Use a rose head watering can to water your plants, instead of a hose or sprinkler.
- Install a water butt: Use it to collect rainwater from your gutters for gardening or washing the yard.
- Drinking troughs: On the farm, watch out for overflowing drinking troughs as they can waste significant amounts of water. Adjust the ball valves to lower the float or replace faulty parts.
- 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.
- Don’t flush it all away: A third of all water used in the home is flushed down the toilet. Some larger cisterns can continue to work effectively with a smaller flush. Place a displacement device into the cistern (out of the way of moving parts) to save water.
To access the water conservation calculator or find out more about water conservation tips, visit www.water.ie/conservation