Uisce Éireann is reminding communities in Milford, Kerrykeel and Ramelton that a Water Conservation Order, commonly referred to as a hosepipe ban, remains in place for Milford Regional Public Water Supply.
The order only applies to customers supplied by the public water supply in Milford, Kerrykeel, Ramelton, and not the rest of the county.
The Water Conservation Order was issued in a bid to safeguard water supplies for essential purposes and prohibits the use of garden hoses and other non-essential uses of water.
The implementation of this order on May 6 followed a long period of dry weather combined with a large increase in demand.
As a result of this, water supplies at Lough Colmcille, the area’s water source, have come under severe pressure.
Despite heavy rainfall in recent days, the water levels at Lough Colmcille, which supplies water to the Milford are, remain lower than previously recorded at this time of year and it is expected, based on the typical trend for this time of year, that water levels will now start to decrease for the summer period.
It is considered that significant levels of rainfall over a prolonged period of time are required for this source to recover.
Since September 2024 rainfall in Donegal has been below average when compared to historical rainfall records.
The Water Conservation Order was introduced on the Milford Regional Public Water Supply to reduce the potential of restrictions and outages over the coming weeks and months.
Damien O’Sullivan of Uisce Éireann said their top priority is to protect the water supply for use in homes, businesses and essential services.
“I’d like to thank the communities in Milford, Ramelton and Kerrykeel for adhering to the Water Conservation Order,” he said.
“We appreciate too the efforts of the public in reporting leaks to us and continuing their efforts to conserve water.
“During this time we are supporting and advising our commercial water users on water conservation, and encouraging them to continue their efforts to avoid unnecessary use.
“There are lots of helpful tips for conserving water on our website but the key messages are to leave the hose and the pressure washer in the shed; reuse household water for the garden; and take shorter showers.
“We are calling on everyone to play their part so we can maintain supplies into the autumn.”
Related posts:
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere
SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT EDITION TODAY
and get access to our archive editions dating back to 2007(CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW TO SUBSCRIBE)