WATER RESTRICTIONS THAT have been imposed on the Aran Islands since earlier this month will be extended, due to low levels of supply.
Irish Water says the restrictions are in place due to unseasonably dry weather conditions.
Night-time water restrictions were imposed on Inis Mór and Inis Oirr earlier this month. The initial restrictions were being implemented from 11pm until 7am on a daily basis.
However, from midnight tomorrow the restrictions will be extended into the evening and later into the morning, from 9pm to 8am.
“The restrictions are being extended from tomorrow night because the current restrictions aren’t sufficient to ensure a water supply for residents, businesses and visitors to the islands,” a spokesperson for Irish Water said.
The water company initially implemented the restrictions on both islands due to the “unseasonably dry weather conditions resulting in historically low water levels for the first time this year”.
Supply has not been affected, but a water conservation notice remains in place on the third Aran Island of Inis Meáin.
The manager of Hotel Inis Oirr spoke to TheJournal.ie earlier this month about the concerns she had about what this would mean for her business.
“First laundry, then guests, they won’t be able to take a shower at any time that they want. Flushing toilets is another thing,” Ms Flaherty said.
Today, a staff member at the hotel told TheJournal.ie that the broken showers at night have led customers to complain.
“The showers are broken and people are giving out and asking for their money back because they’re not getting the full services. It affects everything, from the kitchen to the bedrooms,” she said.
At the moment, it’s not that busy, but in July and August we won’t be able to charge people full price if they can’t take shower.
“It hasn’t been that busy yet, the weekends are when we have a full house. Everything just piles up after the weekend because you can’t wash anything during the nighttime,” she said.
“The tourist season is short enough, it’s only eight to ten strong weeks.”
Irish Water is currently rolling out the planning and design phase for the construction of two new water storage tanks on Inis Oirr.
Elsewhere in Galway, Irish Water are currently asking people supplied by the Tully and Letterfrack water supplies, in the north of the county, to conserve water usage for the foreseeable future for the same reason as the Aran Islands.
The water flow has been stopped on a daily basis from 11pm to 7am.
With tourist season about to get into full swing demand on water supplies will increase significantly over the summer. Because of this Irish Water is asking people to report leaks to help conserve water.
Irish Water and Galway City Council have apologised for any inconvenience caused and thanked the public for their co-operation.
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