Westmeath Customers Facing Water Conservation Order

Friday, 2 May 2025 06:51

50,000 people across the county are affected by the order.

Over 50,000 customers across Westmeath will be under a a water conservation order from next week.

Uisce Eireann is issuing the hosepipe ban a long period of dry weather combined with steady demand is putting the water supply at Lough Owel under severe stress.

The affected areas are: Mullingar, Dysart, Ballynacarrigy, Ballymore, Moate, Rathowen, Streete, Killucan, Coralstown, Kinnegad, Milltownpass, Multyfarnham, Moyvoughly, Tyrrellspass and Kilbeggan areas.

Falling levels in Lough Bane mean that communities in Kells, and Old Castle are under a conservation order as well.

The order is in place from midnight on Tuesday, 6 May 2025 for a period of six weeks.

Jim Fitzgerald, Regional Operations Senior Manager for Water at Uisce Éireann, said: "Uisce Éireann's top priority is to protect the water supply for use in homes, businesses and essential services. The local community will have noticed that water levels in Lough Owel remain lower than usual for this time of year. This is due to significantly reduced rainfall over the past 12 months.

"While it may often feel like Ireland gets plenty of rain, the data shows we’ve experienced an unseasonably warm and dry autumn and winter. As a result, Lough Owel has not had its usual seasonal recharge, and we are heading into the summer months with lower-than-average water levels.

“In response, we have increased our efforts in leakage detection, pipe repair, and overall network management. As demand continues to outstrip supply and with further dry weather predicted, we have taken the extra step of implementing a Water Conservation Order to safeguard the local water supply.

"It is very clear from Uisce Éireann's data that warm weather creates a surge in demand for water. Such weather makes the use of hoses more likely for gardening, leisure and other purposes. However, using a hosepipe for one hour is the equivalent of the daily water usage of an average family and this is generally a non-essential use of water.

"The introduction of this Order follows a series of measures that Uisce Éireann has put in place to safeguard supplies in recent months, including doubling down on our efforts to find and fix critical leaks in the water network and a public information campaign aimed at raising awareness of the importance of water conservation year-round.

“We will continue to analyse water consumption levels while the Water Conservation Order is in place. It is essential that our water supply is protected if we are to reduce the potential of restrictions and outages over the coming weeks and months.