'It's a massive issue': Tipp locals vent frustration with water problems 

John Paul O'Dwyer, Michelle Bradley, Raymond O'Dwyer, Elaine O'Neill, Cllr David Dunne and Sarah Harris from Castle Heights, Carrick-on-Suir who have been left exasperated at regular water outages. Picture: Eoghan Dalton

In keeping with an old local tradition, when the water levels went so low in recent weeks that a rock in the middle of the River Suir surfaced, a fire was lit on the stone in a bid to entice the rain.

The weekend deluge shows the ritual may well have worked, but this year's drought continues to impact, as the record-breaking hot weather has left hundreds of people in Carrick-on-Suir without water for between days and weeks on end this year.

Some estates in the town are served from Crotty's Lake in the Comeragh Mountains, which has come under mounting pressure this year due to the warming conditions — with no solution yet in sight.

Locals in Castle Heights, Carrick Beg have been left without running water for periods ranging from days to weeks on end, according to Michelle Bradley.

"Having no running water, no taps, no showers, baths, washing or dishwasher or toilets, it's a massive issue," she told the Irish Examiner.

"I've a three-year-old that I'm trying to potty train so water is a necessity."

Michelle Bradley has had to resort to bringing her young children to the local swimming pool so they can be washed. Picture: Eoghan Dalton

In recent weeks, residents have had to refill from a tanker installed in the estate which is topped up through Irish Water.

"We were filling buckets, filling basins," Ms Bradley said. "Anything we could get our hands on. But I came home from work one day last week and I'd just had enough: I went to my tap to wash my hands and there was no water again.

I had no way of bathing my children so I had to go to the local swimming pool just to wash my kids.

Irish Water and Tipperary County Council both said the issue is due to the "very dry weather" experienced this year, resulting in "less water available at the sources" in the Crotty’s Lake reservoir.

The town is served by two schemes — from the Linguan Valley on the north side of the River Suir and from Crotty’s Lake on the south side. Customers served from the Linguan supply are not impacted, Irish Water said.

Due to its elevation, Castle Heights — despite being on the north side of the river - is served from Crotty’s Lake as it can not be supplied from Linguan.

"The water levels are so low in Crotty's Lake that they can't get to Castle Heights. By name, by nature, it's on the heights so it's the last place to get water. They tried to add water to the system in one fix previously, but it actually burst the pipe so that led for the whole of Carrick Beg to be out of water," local Sinn Féin councillor David Dunne said.

Mr Dunne added that a "permanent fix" is needed, as water supply issues have become a key issue for Carrick in recent years.

Catherine Murphy, who moved in when the estate was built 17 years ago, said the water problems are a first.

"Never ever did we have a problem with water. It's becoming almost constant and there's people here who don't necessarily have family they can turn to if they need water."

One recent loss of supply resulted in a nursing home near the estate's entrance also going without water for hours on end. The fire brigade had to be called to supply water.

Another resident, Elaine O'Neill, runs a salon from her home: "There was a full week we had to close. There's days here and there where there's no water. If I was even getting notice it would be something because it's just damaging my business.

"[Two weeks ago] they were saying it would be gone from 11am to 11pm, so I arranged to work until 11am — but it was gone at 5am."

Irish Water said it is "assessing both interim and long term proposals to address the water shortages" and to meet the future needs of the town.