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the big freeze

Increased demand: People asked to conserve water as supplies put under strain

Increased demand and power outages are putting the country’s reservoirs under pressure, Irish Water said.

IRISH WATER IS asking people across the country to conserve water as the freezing conditions are putting pressure on water supplies in many counties.

Customers are being asked to conserve water to avoid reservoirs emptying and water pressure in homes and businesses being affected.

Irish Water said that water supply in Cork is particularly under pressure due to increased demand and water treatment plant issues.

In Mallow, due to a power outage at the water treatment plant, production of water ceased and water levels in the reservoir dropped significantly, leading to a loss of supply for some customers.

Arrangements are being put in place to redirect supplies from other areas and restore power at the plant.

Separately, a number of customers in the Charleville area of Cork have had supply disruptions due to low water levels at the Kilaree reservoir.

Some areas in West Cork are also experiencing low pressure and loss of supply, including Allihies, Coolineagh and parts of Baltimore.

Other affected areas 

Irish Water and Donegal County Council have also warned that the county’s water treatment plants are struggling to keep up with water supply demands due to the extremely cold weather conditions.

Due to unprecedented demand, nighttime restrictions are being placed on the Lough Mourne water supply from midnight to 7am tomorrow morning to allow reservoirs to refill.

Irish Water has also said that customers in Westmeath, Louth, Meath, Cavan, Mayo and Galway are experiencing water supply difficulties.

Customers in these counties are being asked to conserve water.

In Navan, Meath, production at the Kilcarn water treatment plant ceased today due to power outage issues.

In Carraroe, Galway, restrictions were imposed yesterday due to high demand and mechanical issues at the water treatment plant. Supply was restored to customers for two hours last night to allow attic storage tanks to refill and the restrictions are once again in place.

Customers in Tír an Fhia in Galway have been without water since 5am this morning.

Conserve water

Customers are being asked to stop running taps and to conserve water to avoid reservoirs emptying and water pressure to homes and businesses being affected.

Irish Water is also urging customers to conserve water by not running dishwashers or washing machines where possible and to take showers instead of baths.

Information on dealing with frozen pipes is available here.

Read: What’s running in the morning: Dublin flights cancelled, no trains and no Luas service for now

More: Roads and rail lines flooded as conditions worsen in Dublin and Wicklow

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