Conservation plan triggered as water pipes burst in freeze

LOCAL authorities around the country are instigating water conservation measures as the post-freeze problems of burst pipes worsen.

Among the worse affected areas are west Cork, county Galway, with water supplies completely shut down in some rural areas, and Dublin city where night-time rationing has been imposed.

Residents in Cork, Galway, Kerry and Waterford are also facing rationing.

Yesterday, burst water mains resulted in a water tanker being deployed to supply residents of the Clonfert area of Galway. Across the country local government officials have asked the public to refrain from keeping taps running in an attempt to prevent burst pipes.

Around half of local authorities are restricting water to conserve supplies. In some areas residents have been updated on supply problems and restrictions by twitter and text message.

Cork County Council has said the situation remains critical throughout west Cork and have been joined by their Kerry counterparts in asking householders not to store extra water or run taps.

Last night Dublin City Council again reduced water pressure in some parts of the city between 7pm to 7am in an attempt to conserve clean water supplies in the three main reservoirs. In a few areas all supply was halted, although most householders continued to have running taps due to supplies in shortage tankers.

The move was prompted by a sharp rise in demand for water in recent days with 538 megalitres needed to supply the city on Sunday, November 28, compared to 575 megalitres last Sunday. The city’s water treatment plants can produce around 560 megalitres per day.

Dublin City Councillor Cieran Perry said; “across the country the water pipes system is massively outdated, in this time of growing unemployment a labour intensive programme to modernise this key public utility would make sense.”

Dublin City Council official Brian McKeown said: “We’re concentrating on the many broken water mains. We have very old water mains and when we get very cold temperatures we get ground movement both when it is freezing and especially then when it thawing and that causes broken mains which cause leakage and cause the demand to go up.”