No decision yet on extending hosepipe ban beyond next week

Ireland faced prolonged drought conditions through much of last month, which was found to be one of the hottest, driest, and sunniest Julys on record. File picture

No decision has been made yet as to whether the hosepipe ban will be extended beyond next Wednesday.

The water conservation order came into effect for the entire country at the end of July.

It followed “increasing pressure” on raw water sources across many areas in the country due to a prolonged period of exceptionally hot and dry weather.

Ireland faced prolonged drought conditions through much of last month, which was found to be one of the hottest, driest, and sunniest Julys on record, with persistent high-pressure conditions which resulted in “exceptionally low rainfall”, especially across the south and east of the country.

All rainfall monitoring stations across the country recorded below-average rainfall, with several stations experiencing their driest July on record.

A report by the Environmental Protection Agency found over 60% of the monthly average river flows across Ireland were below the long-term range last month, with the River Blackwater one of the worst affected. 

Flows at one monitoring point for the river reached just 37% of its monthly average.

The EPA monitors 132 river sites across the country. Out of these, 27 were classified as particularly low, 53 as below normal, and 50 as normal. The agency said the rivers classified as particularly low were widespread across the country.

Lake levels also declined, with 36% of monitored lakes falling below normal, while groundwater levels fell as well at all monitored locations — some 47% of sites recorded below-normal or particularly low groundwater conditions.

A spokesperson for Uisce Éireann said the impacts of the dry weather are “being seen most acutely in our river abstractions, which typically respond very quickly to periods of low rainfall and can experience reduced flows within relatively short timeframes".

They added: “In contrast, lake, reservoir, and groundwater sources generally provide greater storage and are therefore more resilient to short-duration dry periods.

“However, these sources can also come under increasing pressure if below-average rainfall persists for an extended period and levels do not have a chance to recover."

Uisce Éireann said it is reviewing the hosepipe ban and any decision will be “informed by ongoing assessments of rainfall, river flows, groundwater and reservoir levels, customer demand, and overall supply resilience".

A spokesperson said: “Uisce Éireann will continue to closely monitor conditions and implement the most appropriate measures to protect water resources and maintain secure water supplies for customers."