Irish Water is urging the public to conserve water to ensure a consistent supply for all during the heatwave.

Demand for drinking water has increased very significantly in many supplies across Kerry.

At the same time, due to the dry weather and high temperatures, water source levels are dropping. Irish Water, together with Kerry County Council, is working hard to maintain supplies.

“The current extra demand, combined with reduced capacity, is not sustainable across Kerry," Anna Brosnan, Irish Water’s Operations Lead for Kerry, said. "We are appealing to everyone to be mindful of this and reduce water consumption as much as possible.

INCREASED DEMAND

“All supplies across the county are seeing increased demand. The households, farms and businesses served by public water supplies across Kerry are asked to reduce water usage as much as possible. Particular schemes under the most pressure at present include the Cahersiveen, Portmagee, Maulin, Caherdaniel, Castlecove, Castlegregory and Inch areas.

“Everyone can contribute and the combination of effort will greatly help our ability to provide a continuous water supply to all. There is guidance and tips for conserving water available on www.water.ie/conserve.”
 

Small changes can have a significant impact, for example:

- Take a shorter shower and save up to 10 litres of water per minute
- Fix dripping taps or leaking toilets in your home
- When brushing your teeth or shaving, turn off the tap and save up to six litres of water per minute
- Save and reuse water collected from baths, showers, and hand basins in the garden
- Avoid using paddling pools
- In the garden use a rose head watering can instead of a hose and aim for the roots
- If you need to wash your car, use a bucket and sponge instead of a hose
- Report any leaks to Irish Water at 1800 278 278.

Further water conservation information is available on the Irish Water website www.water.ie/conservation.