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Customers have been reminded of water conservation tips. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Water demand in Greater Dublin hits ‘unprecedented’ high of over 630 million litres per day

Storage in Dublin’s treated water reservoirs is also approaching critically low levels.

UISCE ÉIREANN HAS urged the public across the Greater Dublin Area to reduce water usage after demand hit an “unprecedented level”.

This week, daily demand in the Greater Dublin area reached over 630 million litres, the highest on record.

This is an increase of 40 million litres on the same period last year, and the equivalent daily use of almost 120,000 homes.

Uisce Éireann said this increase is due to a range of factors, including a “growing population and increased economic activity”.

However, it also noted that recent weather events have led to bursts on the network and have “pushed demand further to unprecedented levels”.

It has warned that demand for water currently exceeds the capacity of the water treatment plants in the Greater Dublin region.

Uisce Éireann’s head of water operations Margaret Attridge explained: “This simply means that more water is being consumed every day than the capital’s water treatment infrastructure is capable of producing.”

It’s also been warned that storage in Dublin’s treated water reservoirs is approaching critically low levels.

Attridge added: “Water is a precious resource that must go through a complex treatment process to ensure that it is safe to drink.

“While there is no shortage of rainfall to fill our raw water reservoirs, demand is now at or above the capacity of what the city’s water treatment plants can produce on a daily basis.

“This is despite significant and sustained investment by Uisce Éireann in recent years in the water supply infrastructure.”

Uisce Éireann has introduced some localised night-time restrictions to enable leak detection and repair work, and to help manage reservoir levels.

An urgent appeal is also being made to the public for its help in reducing overall demand by conserving water and avoiding preventable loss of water where possible.

“By working together,” said Attridge, “consumers and businesses can play a part in ensuring a sustainable supply of drinking water for everyone and avoid more widespread disruption to supplies.”

Key measures to help protect water supplies include checking homes, business premises and unoccupied premises for leaks and getting them fixed.

Meanwhile, taps should not be left running and any dripping taps inside or outside should be fixed.

The public has also been asked to be mindful of water use and to look for opportunities to make savings.

If you have a suspected leak on your external water supply pipe, consider applying for the First Fix Free Scheme. The scheme offers a free leak investigation and free repair for eligible domestic customers.

Uisce Éireann added that it has put in place a number of measures to help tackle demand, including ramping up leak detection and repair, pressure management across the network, and optimising treatment capacity at our plants.

Non-essential maintenance work has also been deferred to maximise the volume of water available for supply.

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47 Comments
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    Mute BL Music
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    Jan 26th 2024, 2:38 PM

    I have a great idea .. let us increase the population

    307
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    Mute Tom Donnell
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    Jan 26th 2024, 3:47 PM

    @BL Music: Or build up our infrastructure

    60
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    Mute Larissa Caroline Nikolaus
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    Jan 26th 2024, 4:56 PM

    @William Slevin: sure, and 85% of all Irish Emigrees back to Ireland, tit for tat, ya know

    36
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    Mute Gerry Kelly
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    Jan 26th 2024, 2:50 PM

    As posted elsewhere the E.S.R.I. says our National Development Plan is now obsolete due to our unplanned uncontrolled population growth.
    100 + million refugees have around 30-35 countries they want to enter & we have “international legal obligations” So we can expect plenty more stories like this to come

    162
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    Mute Christopher Fealy
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    Jan 26th 2024, 3:40 PM

    HOW MANY MILLION LITERS ARE DATA CENTRES USEING IN DUBLIN EVERY DAY …ITS MILLIONS AND MILLIONS AND IRISH WATER HAVEN’T SAID A WORD ABOUT THAT

    100
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    Mute brian o'leary
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    Jan 26th 2024, 3:48 PM

    @Christopher Fealy: thirsty work, that data centreing.

    23
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    Mute chris gaffney
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    Jan 26th 2024, 9:44 PM

    @Christopher Fealy: If you weren’t too lazy to do the tiniest bit of research you would find out that they use very little water….

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    Mute Christopher Fealy
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    Jan 26th 2024, 11:16 PM

    @chris gaffney: look at what Google alone use and about 25 data centres in dublin Dick****

    4
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    Mute Harry Whelks
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    Jan 27th 2024, 11:32 AM

    @chris gaffney: A large data center can use anywhere between 1 million and 5 million gallons of water a day. It’s not a secret. Nearly 4 litres in a gallon. Thats not a secret either.

    5
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    Mute Soundy Sound
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    Jan 26th 2024, 2:50 PM

    If only there was a way to incentivise people to concerve water and reduce usage.

    59
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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jan 26th 2024, 2:54 PM

    @William Slevin: Personally, I’d much prefer to deport the bigots. Sadly, nowhere would take them.

    Without the ‘foreign population’, this country would collapse.

    89
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    Mute Soundy Sound
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    Jan 26th 2024, 2:56 PM

    @William Slevin: it’s more efficient to deliver services to larger populations. We have one of the lowest population densities in Europe. We need a larger population to get really good infrastructure and public transport.

    30
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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jan 26th 2024, 3:07 PM

    @William Slevin: 26% of our workforce is foreign born. You reckon we can afford to lose 22.1% of our workforce, many of whom would be very highly skilled? The economy and society would collapse.

    Of course you’re one of those who think that their whims and fancies override science.

    33
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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jan 26th 2024, 3:21 PM

    @William Slevin: One of these days you’ll say something sensible, but it will be by accident.

    32
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    Mute Tom Donnell
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    Jan 26th 2024, 3:49 PM

    @William Slevin: And recall all our own emigrants aswell from the UK and US and elsewhere?

    10
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    Mute F Fitzgerald
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    Jan 26th 2024, 4:15 PM

    @Soundy Sound: It would probably help if people had their own places to live instead of overcrowded households trying to stay clean.

    8
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    Mute Donal Ronan
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    Jan 26th 2024, 4:32 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: Brendan, I think your figures are wrong.
    The following says 18.5%. I don’t think it would have changed that much since.
    https://emn.ie/migrants-in-the-labour-force-in-2022/
    I also think we need to distinguish between legal migration, for which people have to pay and illegal immigration.
    Why go the costly route, if you can get in for free.

    10
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    Mute ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
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    Jan 26th 2024, 6:33 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: “26% of our workforce is foreign born. You reckon we can afford to lose 22.1% of our workforce, many of whom would be very highly skilled? The economy and society would collapse.”

    Or give us much needed breathing space.

    For all your talk of these people being needed “by the economy”, we were far better off with a smaller economy, a relatively tiny national debt and much smaller personal debt levels.

    Debt is not wealth, Brendan.

    Anyway, how many of these are needed simply to provide goods and services to the added population, to themselves in effect?

    I would far prefer to see a managed system where all – immigrants included – had not only a decent quality of life, but an excellent quality of life.
    Not the situation we have now where far too many, natives and immigrants, have long since passed the threshold of living to work.
    No, not living.
    Existing.
    Existing to work.

    9
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    Mute chris gaffney
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    Jan 26th 2024, 9:45 PM

    @Soundy Sound: There was. It was called water charges where those who wasted water or refused to fix leaks on their property would pay more…..

    2
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    Mute Geoff Bateman
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    Jan 26th 2024, 3:12 PM

    And as long as those dim planners allow more and more properties to be built in an already overcrowded area, it will just keep on climbing

    43
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    Mute Mick Hanna
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    Jan 26th 2024, 3:18 PM

    Better Rain Collection Systems are needed. You in all seriousness have to plan this in for the future. ITS utter madness the amount wasted when it rain monsoon like the other day.

    40
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    Mute Soundy Sound
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    Jan 26th 2024, 3:42 PM

    @Mick Hanna: and here we are flushing our toilets and washing our cars with potable water. It’s madness!

    24
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    Mute F Fitzgerald
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    Jan 26th 2024, 4:17 PM

    @Soundy Sound: I’m happy to flush my toilets with grey water. If someone has a bath, that’s where the water goes, not down the drain.
    Save some rainwater and use that to wash your car, maybe?

    14
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    Mute Rex Tynan
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    Jan 26th 2024, 3:08 PM

    It is imperative that we introduce water charges asap

    26
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    Mute Matt D
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    Jan 26th 2024, 3:19 PM

    @Rex Tynan: excellent idea, as long as its ratified through the once promised referendum; you know, the one where we vote whether to keep water & its infrastructure publicly owned or not. Before the politicians can sell it off to their pals in private industry…

    66
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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jan 26th 2024, 3:19 PM

    @Rex Tynan: Top-class trolling. Bound to get the angry reaction you crave. Then you can say that you’re awesome. Yet another great day in your life.

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    Mute Mick Hanna
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    Jan 26th 2024, 3:21 PM

    @Rex Tynan: NO, it isn’t! People have more than enough bills to be dealing with!!!

    20
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    Mute Rex Tynan
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    Jan 26th 2024, 3:43 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: you seem angry

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    Mute ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
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    Jan 26th 2024, 6:35 PM

    @Mick Hanna: Don’t give that toddler the attention it craves.

    5
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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Jan 26th 2024, 11:43 PM

    @Rex Tynan: That’s what Kenny thought when he met his imagery friend having two pints in a pub, who was quite happy to give up his two pints to pay his water charges..The hundreds of thousands who protested against the water charges were certainly not imagery as Kenny realised when the FG/ so called Labour plans to privatise water were quickly shelved.

    4
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    Mute Joe McNamara
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    Jan 26th 2024, 4:07 PM

    Most of the leaks are on the public side of the water supply networks. They must repair these leaks as a first step if they wish ”to ensure consistency of supply.”

    25
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    Mute F Fitzgerald
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    Jan 26th 2024, 4:10 PM

    @Joe McNamara: Absolutely right. They need to deal with the leaks. But as long as they think they can charge people for the loss of water, they clearly won’t rush to repair pipes.

    19
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    Mute chris gaffney
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    Jan 26th 2024, 6:24 PM

    @Joe McNamara: Not Correct. There are serious water leaks on the private side which are quickly identifiable on properties with water meters. Pity the government stopped the meter installation project to pacify a few part-time anarchists!

    10
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    Mute SV3tN8M4
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    Jan 26th 2024, 10:44 PM

    Water supply, energy supply, hospitals & healthcare, schools, childcare, public transport, roads, housing, infrastructural collapse happening nationwide, no restrictions on immigration & our population increasing by the size of Limerick city each year, nobody telling the truth & it’s costing Billions. International obligations will eventually collapse the State.

    14
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    Mute Mies Valkenburg
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    Jan 27th 2024, 5:58 AM

    Can’t speak for Dublin but in the west of the country it’s only pissing down 11 months of the year. One hot week this summer and we’ll have a hose pipe ban. The lack of vision and public planning in this country is simply staggering.

    14
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    Mute Colm Quinn
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    Jan 26th 2024, 6:44 PM

    Why don’t we build a big pipe from the Shannon?

    8
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    Mute F Fitzgerald
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    Jan 26th 2024, 4:13 PM

    It’s all those people in apartments, digging swimming pools and then making them into ice rinks. Mar dhea.

    Why can’t they use all the money they were given to build more treatment plants and reservoirs?

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    Mute Steve Chalk
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    Jan 26th 2024, 9:45 PM

    There’s some sort of water leak on Lusk main street for over a year now. That’s where its all going.

    5
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    Mute john dowling
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    Jan 26th 2024, 11:19 PM

    Part of the genocide action against Israel was the shuting off water, do we forget Phil Hogans threat to reduce flow to a trickle? Why is industry using treated water? While the rest of are are being poisoned? Why are the EU taking action against us?

    5
    edw
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    Mute edw
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    Jan 26th 2024, 4:19 PM

    Leaks

    4
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