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

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.