Parts of Wicklow will come under a six-week hosepipe ban this week as Uisce Éireann moves to protect drinking water supplies following weeks of exceptionally warm and dry weather.

The Water Conservation Order takes effect, as and from Thursday midnight (16th) and is due to remain in place until Wednesday, August 26th.

The restrictions apply to customers supplied by the Greater Dublin water network, including Bray, Greystones, Newtownmountkennedy, Ashford and parts of Wicklow Town, as well as Dublin and parts of Kildare, Meath, Wexford and South Tipperary.

The order prohibits the use of garden hosepipes and similar equipment for a range of non-essential activities, including watering gardens, washing private vehicles, filling or topping up paddling pools and swimming pools, cleaning private boats, and filling ornamental ponds and fountains.

Uisce Éireann says the measures are necessary after weeks of prolonged dry weather led to a sharp increase in water consumption and placed sustained pressure on water treatment plants, reservoirs and the wider distribution network.

In the Greater Dublin Area, which includes the affected parts of Wicklow, daily water demand recently reached 693 million litres – around 50 million litres more than the average so far this year.

Nationally, domestic water use is currently running around 20 per cent above normal, driven largely by increased outdoor water use during the warm weather.

The utility says it has already stepped up leakage repair works, pressure management and network monitoring in an effort to maintain supplies, but says reducing demand is now essential to avoid more serious shortages.

Courtesy Uisce Eireann via Tailte Eireann 

Head of Water Operations at Uisce Éireann, Margaret Attridge, said protecting water supplies for homes and essential services is the utility's top priority.

She said the current spell of hot, dry weather has driven exceptionally high water use and appealed to households, farms and businesses to reduce non-essential consumption.

Customers are being encouraged to swap hosepipes for watering cans, take shorter showers, only run dishwashers and washing machines with full loads, repair leaks and reuse household water in gardens where possible.

The Water Conservation Order is legally enforceable.

Anyone found breaching the restrictions can receive a €125 fixed penalty notice. Failure to pay can result in prosecution, with courts able to impose fines of up to €5,000 on conviction.

Uisce Éireann says it will continue to monitor water demand and reservoir levels throughout the period. The restrictions could be lifted before August 26th if conditions improve, or extended if dry weather persists.

While the hosepipe ban only applies to the affected areas, the utility is urging customers across the country to reduce non-essential water use as supplies remain under pressure.

Night-time water restrictions are already in place on 39 public water supplies nationwide, and Uisce Éireann says Water Conservation Orders are being considered for other areas if demand continues to rise.