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File photo. Irish Water said time must be given to allow water levels to recover Mark Stedman/RollingNews.ie

'We can't conserve what we don't have': Skerries residents fuming as water restrictions continue

Irish Water said it would be asking residents to conserve water for the “foreseeable future”.

IRISH WATER HAS told people in the north Dublin town of Skerries to “continue conserving water for the foreseeable future” after restrictions placed on their supply on Thursday are set to continue.

Locals, however, have expressed their displeasure at the restrictions, and said that a large number had been left without water due to the restrictions in place.

In a statement this evening, Irish Water said that the water restrictions are required to allow water levels in the Thomastown Reservoir to recover.

The areas affected include Barnageeragh, Hamilton Hill, Newtown Parks, Skerries Rock, Millview and Hillside Gardens.

It said it is “asking customers in Skerries and surrounding areas to conserve water for the foreseeable future due to increased demand and reducing water levels”.

Irish Water added: “The current dry spell and increased seasonal demand are contributing to the reduced available supply of treated drinking water. In order to avoid widespread water outages it is necessary to carry out water restrictions on the water supply in the coming days.

Restrictions were placed on the supply on Thursday June 7, and will continue over the weekend subject to ongoing review of water levels in the reservoir. The restrictions are being lifted for a period each morning from 6am to 10am to allow tanks in homes and businesses to fill.
During the water restriction periods the majority of homes and businesses will still have a flow of water to their properties however low water pressure may be experienced. A small number of properties, those located on the extremities of the network or on higher ground may lose water supply during the restrictions.

A number of alternative water supplies are being provided at Newtown Parks near the Dublin Road and Selskar Court junctions, at Skerries point shopping centre near the Eurospar and at Millers Lane.

The issue has ignited the fury of local residents with many taking to community Facebook groups to share stories of their own affected supply.

“This is beyond a joke,” one wrote. “We brushed our teeth, flushed the toilet twice and our tank is completely empty this morning,” another said.

And another wrote: “Loads of people in the estate have small kiddies – not sure how we are expected to manage with very little warning for such a long period without water.”

A group of locals have even started a petition calling  on Irish Water to provide reliable access to water in their area.

Karen Power, a resident of Barnageeragh, told TheJournal.ie that water outages are a regular problem on their estate.

“We’re not able to do our washing,” she said. “And we’ve had to go buy disposable plates. It’s just so frustrating. When we turn on the tap – even in the morning when we’re supposed to have it – nothing happens.”

Power said she’d been told that issues with water pressure meant that there were problems getting water to their estate which is on a hill.

“We can’t conserve what we don’t have,” she said.

Another local resident of Barnageeragh told TheJournal.ie: “Once is enough, and twice is a joke. To be told this is going on for the foreseeable future is crazy.”

She said that locals are already having water problems and that building works on more property is continuing in the area. She added:

It feels like Skerries is being isolated here. I appreciate there’s hot weather at the minute, but if they fixed all the water leaks and practised what they preached, they’d be able to conserve water so that we could then use it.

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    Mute The Guru
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    Apr 25th 2017, 1:43 PM

    I was wondering what Amy Hubermann was thinking of it all. Thank God for The Journal.

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    Mute Jun Stone
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    Apr 25th 2017, 3:26 PM

    @The Guru: Never mind that nobody Barbara S…FFS.

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    Mute Dara Smith
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    Apr 25th 2017, 1:40 PM

    Went into spar for a cup of coffee, the sun was so strong there was people wearing sun glasses outside. When i came out 5mins later there was a hail shower. Mad stuff that coffee

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    Mute Geraldine Altamirano
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    Apr 25th 2017, 6:10 PM

    Oh, that was good for a smile at the end of a working day!

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    Mute Alan Carthy
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    Apr 25th 2017, 1:43 PM

    April showers bring may flowers

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    Mute Linda Hegarty
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    Apr 25th 2017, 5:00 PM

    @Alan Carthy: Hope your right Alan we’ve all the baskets done

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    Mute John O'Driscoll
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    Apr 25th 2017, 8:54 PM

    @Alan au contraire. Whan that Aprille with his shoures swete / The droghte of Marche hath pierced to the root…and loads of my bedding plants look frost nipped.

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    Mute The Girl
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    Apr 25th 2017, 1:41 PM

    Then it got sunny, then the hail returned, then rain, then the sun came back…don’t know what is next, cats and dogs?

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    Mute Lily
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    Apr 25th 2017, 2:20 PM

    @The Girl:

    Years ago when roots were thatch, cats and dogs slept in them to keep warm. When it got too wet the cats and dogs would slip out, hence the saying ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’.

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    Mute Paraic McDonagh
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    Apr 25th 2017, 3:36 PM

    @Lily: Yes but where did the expression “It’s p155ing down out of the high heavens” originate.

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    Mute Christine Klein
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    Apr 25th 2017, 2:26 PM

    We have a saying or nursery kind of song in German:
    April, April der macht was er will. Mal Regen und mal Sonnenschein dann schneit es wieder zwischendrein, April, April, April, der macht was er will.
    Translation lol
    APRIL APRIL APRIL DOES WHAT IT LIKES. ONCE RAIN AND ONCE SUNSHINE THEN SNOW IN BETWEEN. APRIL APRIL APRIL DOES WHAT IT LIKES…
    and finishes the sentence in sunshine lol

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    Mute Maurice Quille
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    Apr 25th 2017, 7:30 PM

    @Christine Klein: heil heil heil…ja ja ja

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    Mute niall
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    Apr 25th 2017, 1:33 PM

    Lots if hail, thunder and lightning at the minute. Serious stuff

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    Mute Captain kirk
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    Apr 25th 2017, 1:36 PM

    @niall: are you a bit scared Niall?

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    Mute Rui Firmino
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    Apr 25th 2017, 2:03 PM

    @Captain kirk: thunder and lightening, very very frightening!

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    Mute Gus Sheridan
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    Apr 25th 2017, 2:07 PM

    @Rui Firmino: mid twenties here…..nice

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    Mute Paraic McDonagh
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    Apr 25th 2017, 2:31 PM

    @Gus Sheridan: mid forties here…. So a bit older than you.

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    Mute Rui Firmino
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    Apr 25th 2017, 3:38 PM

    @Paraic McDonagh: Early 40′s here.

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    Mute Peter Cavey
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    Apr 25th 2017, 2:12 PM

    Oops… Someone spilled their Crystal meth all over the road

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    Mute clubber lang
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    Apr 25th 2017, 2:36 PM

    Looks like Summer’s over. It’s all downhill from here

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    Mute Mike O'Sullivan
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    Apr 25th 2017, 4:35 PM

    Only another eight weeks and the nights will be getting shorter.

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    Mute Grainne Abdulaziz
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    Apr 25th 2017, 3:06 PM

    Amy Huberman giving Flann O’Brien a run for his money there.

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    Mute Pa Cantillon
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    Apr 25th 2017, 2:28 PM

    That Amy Huberman is a hoot.

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    Mute Rui Firmino
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    Apr 25th 2017, 2:12 PM

    How dare you be in Portugal!!

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    Mute seamus mcdermott
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    Apr 25th 2017, 3:38 PM

    Thunder and lightning is no lark!
    https://youtu.be/pd_kAMrB1Gs

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    Mute John O'Driscoll
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    Apr 25th 2017, 8:55 PM

    April is the cruellest month. Eliot was right. Reckon it was too early to put out the sweetpea.

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    Mute John O'Driscoll
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    Apr 25th 2017, 8:51 PM

    Ne’er cast a clout ’til May is out. Monkey’s not brass but fralsetto today.

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    Mute Paul Radburn
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    Apr 25th 2017, 4:20 PM

    Earth is fu*ked up.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Apr 25th 2017, 10:53 PM

    @Paul Radburn: Snow in Turkey today and in Germany yesterday?

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    Mute Colin hoop
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    Apr 25th 2017, 6:13 PM

    https://youtu.be/PIjNB_QYiws DUBLIN sleet today with a blue sky in backround

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