Hosepipe Ban Northern Ireland - Public Urged to Use Water Wisely
July 4, 2018
A hosepipe ban was introduced last Friday and the public were asked to limit the use of tap water to the essentials, like drinking, cooking and washing.
An update from NI Water, CEO Sara Venning (4th July 2018) said:-
“The progress that has been made can be attributed to a combination of the good will of the public and the hard work of our dedicated staff.
“When the hosepipe ban was introduced last Friday we appealed to the public to assist us in managing an exceptional situation. I am delighted but not surprised to say that they have done so and we are now in a position where demand whilst still at high levels is reducing.
“The dedication of our staff who have worked tirelessly has also greatly added to this progress.
“None of us can afford to be complacent however and the hosepipe ban is still necessary. As we face into a period of extended dry weather it is essential we all look at adopting water saving habits as part of our day to day lives now, and in the future.”
The following activities are prohibited during this period:
- Watering a garden using a hosepipe
- Watering outdoor plants on domestic or other non-commercial premises using a hosepipe
- Drawing water, using a hosepipe for domestic recreational use
- Filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool using a hosepipe
- Filling or maintaining a domestic pond using a hosepipe
- Cleaning a private leisure boat using a hosepipe
- Cleaning a private motor vehicle using a hosepipe
- Cleaning walls or windows of domestic premises using a hosepipe
- Cleaning paths or patios of domestic or other non-commercial premises using a hosepipe
We would strongly advise the public to adhere to this advice as ignoring it will only cause further strain on resources and could lead to interruptions to supply.
The recent hot weather has seen an increase in the demand for water in Northern Ireland of 130 million litres per day.
Des Nevin Head of Customer Services "As we all enjoy the good weather, Northern Ireland Water is working hard to maintain normal supplies across Northern Ireland.
“Staff in our treatment works have increased production by close to 25% to meet the current demand which has risen from normal levels of around 570 million litres per day to a high of 700 million litres yesterday
“That means that each of us is using approximately 200 litres each day compared to the normal 153 litres.
“This increased production allied to the implementation of a well established water supply management plan, which includes increased monitoring of our assets and network, has enabled us to protect the supply of water to customers. However, we would ask the public to work with us as they can play a major part by helping to reduce demand. If demand for water continues at this rate, our storage levels will become a real concern.
“We would expect, and have seen, a rise in water usage particularly in rural areas where, for example farms need more water for animal welfare, and in popular local tourist areas. However, we are asking everyone to think carefully about the use of water around homes and gardens.”
NI Water’s top ten water saving tips include:
1 Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth - A running tap can use 6 litres of water per minute.
2 Take shorter showers - Why not challenge yourself and your family to shower one minute quicker? In a year you could save up to 10,000 litres of water!
3 Take a shower instead of a bath - One bath can use up to 100 litres of water, whereas an efficient shower uses under 50 litres. But remember power showers can use more water than baths.
4 Lawns are great survivors - a sprinkler can use as much as 1,000 litres of clean drinking water in a single hour; more than a family of four would use in a whole day. Even when they look dry and brown, they’ll spring back with the first heavy rain, so avoid watering them wherever possible. Why not re use that water from the kids’ paddling pool and water the garden with it.
5 Use a bowl for washing vegetables - You can reduce water waste by using a bowl to wash and prepare your vegetables. Then you can use the water to rinse your recycling bin.
6 Make full use of your washing machine - Half load programmes on washing machines use more than half the water and energy of a full load, so wait until the machine is full before switching it on.
7 Turn off the tap - Simply turning off the tap while washing your hands or shaving can save over 6 litres of water every minute!
8 Fix leaking taps - A dripping tap can waste more than 60 litres of water per week.
9 Keep a jug of water in the fridge - Planning ahead means there is no need to run the water until it gets cold.
10 Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need - This will save water and energy.
Although our planet is covered in water, only 1% of it is actually drinkable! Approximately 51% of water supplied to customers in Northern Ireland comes from impounding reservoirs. The remainder comes from natural loughs (41%, mainly Lough Neagh), rivers (7%) and borewells (<1%).
More advice and tips can be found at www.niwater.com