DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL is to restore full water services to the capital from tomorrow – but said that services will have reduced pressures until production at a water treatment plant in Roundwood is restored.

Businesses and households in the capital have had reduced supplies since Easter Sunday as a result of what the council said were depleted reserves at its reservoirs and disruptions to water treatment plants.

The council blamed the prolonged spell of cold weather for the disruptions, saying the freezing temperatures had increased the volume of leaks on its Victorian-era distribution network.

Though crews have been deployed around the city to repair any of the damage, unrelated disruptions at the Roundwood treatment plant mean full services cannot be restored today, and will only return tomorrow.

“This normally produces 66 million litres a day,” or almost 12 per cent of the total daily amount used by the Dublin region, the council said, “but is now down to an average of 40 million litres a day.”

While there was no problem with the quality of the water being treated, the shortfall arose at a time when the region did not have the usual strategic reserve of 10 to 15 per cent to meet the extra demand.

“In an effort to maintain storage we are asking consumers to assist us in maintaining adequate water supplies by restricting their use of water as much as possible,” the council said.

“If all of our customers could reduce their consumption by 5%, and maintain this reduction, restrictions could cease almost immediately.”

Disruptions will be in place from 9pm to 7am this evening, with lower pressures kicking in from tomorrow evening around the same hours. The council has warned that the low pressures will, in some areas, mean a possible loss of supply.

“We will then continue to review and monitor the storage levels on an ongoing basis, but cannot rule out a return to more stringent restrictions if problems persist or the situation deteriorates.”

Earlier: Water restrictions to continue in Dublin city for next two nights