11 tips to conserve water and protect environment during hot spell

Northern Ireland Water has released the following 11 simple tips to help people save water and protect the environment.

1 Turn off the tap - Simply turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, washing your hands or shaving can save over 6 litres of water every minute!

2 Let the ‘yellow mellow’ - Toilet flushing is one of the biggest water users in most homes. Consider only flushing the toilet when you really need to. Adding a toilet cistern bag to your cistern will reduce the amount of water used in every flush.

3 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!

4 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.

5 Use a bowl for washing vegetables - A running kitchen tap can use up to 20 litres of water every minute. 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.

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 Lawns are great survivors - Even when they look dry and brown, they’ll spring back with the first heavy rain, so to avoid watering them wherever possible. Collect rainwater in a waterbutt. The water can then be used to water your lawn and plants when a dry spell hits. Click here to make you own mini waterbutt.

8 Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth - A running tap can use six litres of water per minute.

9 Fix leaking taps - A dripping tap can waste more than 60 litres of water per week.

10 Keep a jug of water in the fridge - Planning ahead means there is no need to run the water until it gets cold.

11 Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need - This will save water and energy.

In the 26 counties Irish Water on Tuesday announced night-time water restrictions in Clonakilty in Co. Cork which is enduring some of the driest and hottest conditions in the country.

On Tuesday the utility said there were 15 areas impacted by shortages and that it had implemented a range of measures such as tankering and/or night-time restrictions to protect supplies and ensure water keeps flowing to homes and businesses.

The fifteen areas in question were all in the counties Wexford, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Cork, Galway, Clare and Tipperary.

Approximately 60 supplies around the country are being closely monitored by Irish Water to ensure that normal supply is maintained for the rest of the summer and into autumn.

The vast majority of Irish Water’s 750 water treatment plants continue to meet the demand for water supply, however.

While there was a significant increase in demand during the hot weather in mid-July, recent rainfall has seen a decrease in the number of schemes at risk of drought, it said.

Tom Cuddy, Irish Water’s Head of Asset Operations, said, “We would like to thank the public for their support in conserving water, particularly during the hot weather in mid-July. While recent rainfall has reduced the risk of drought, we would ask the public that they continue to conserve over the coming weeks. It can sometimes be difficult to know where to start, but even small changes can make a significant difference – and we can all play our part. By reducing our water use, for example turning off the hose and avoiding power washing, we can all help ensure there is enough water for everyone as we go through the rest of the Summer and into Autumn."

“To help people learn more about saving water we have developed an easy-to-use conservation calculator so they can work out how much water they are currently saving and how they can conserve even more. The free calculator is available on the Irish Water website at www.water.ie/calculator where you can also find lots of useful water saving tips."

“We will continue to monitor the levels at all our supplies over the coming weeks and months and take any actions that may be necessary to maintain supplies, including communicating about localised issues as they arise.”

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Members of the public can report any leaks in the public water network by contacting Irish Water 24/7 at 1800 278 278 or on the Irish Water website.

Irish Water has also released a number of easy steps to reduce water usage during the hot weather.

1 Avoid power washing and keep the garden hose in the shed.

2 Check for leaks on outdoor taps or troughs as these can lead to large losses of treated water.

3 Remember that paddling pools and swimming pools can use huge volumes of water so consider reusing the water for the garden or cleaning the car.

4 Report any visible leaks on the public network to Irish Water at water.ie or call 1800 278 278.

Where householders experience very low flow or pressure, lower than neighbouring properties, they may have a service pipe leak. Irish Water’s First-Fix-Free Scheme can help with the location and repair of external leaks. Details on our website or call 1800 278 278.

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