Careful With That Hosepipe, Eugene

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atest press release from Uisce Éireann, issued on Monday, July 13th 2026…

Uisce Éireann has confirmed that a Water Conservation Order will be in place for Dublin, South Tipperary, and parts of Kildare, Meath, Wexford and Wicklow from 00:01 on Thursday, 16 July 2026 until 23:59 on Wednesday, 26 August 2026.

The Order, commonly referred to as a hosepipe ban, is being introduced to safeguard public water supplies for essential purposes following a period of exceptionally warm and dry weather, which has led to significantly increased water use across the affected areas and placed sustained pressure on water treatment plants, treated water reservoirs and the wider network.

Nationally, domestic customer water use is also around 20% above typical levels, driven largely by non-essential outdoor use. In The Greater Dublin Area which includes Dublin and parts of Kildare, Meath and Wicklow, recent daily water use reached 693 million litres, around 50 million litres above the year-to-date average. Supplies are also under pressure in parts of Wexford and South Tipperary, where water treatment plants are producing significantly more water each day than the average daily demand recorded in 2025.

In recent weeks, Uisce Éireann has been putting in place a range of measures to maintain and protect supplies, including enhanced leakage repair works, pressure management, network management and public water conservation campaigns to help reduce water use to sustainable levels.

The Water Conservation Order prohibits the use of garden hosepipes and other non-essential uses of water by domestic users and commercial premises for non-commercial activities. A full list of prohibited uses is included in the Notes to Editors below.

While the Order applies only to the affected areas, Uisce Éireann is appealing to all customers nationwide to reduce non-essential water use while supplies remain under pressure. Households, farms and businesses can help by hanging up the hose, putting the power washer away, reusing household water in the garden, checking for leaks and leaking toilets, taking shorter showers and using water only where it is needed.

Margaret Attridge, Head of Water Operations with Uisce Éireann, said: “Uisce Éireann’s top priority is to protect water supplies for homes, businesses, farms, hospitals, vulnerable customers and other essential services. The current hot and dry spell has driven very high water use, and we need to reduce non-essential use now to help protect supplies for everyone.

“We are asking households, businesses, farms and communities to play their part by reducing non-essential water use wherever possible. That means avoiding outdoor uses that can place significant pressure on supplies, checking for leaks, reusing water where practical and making small changes indoors that can quickly add up. This is about protecting treated drinking water for the things that matter most — homes, hospitals, vulnerable customers, farms, businesses and essential services — while this Order is in place.”

Uisce Éireann teams continue to monitor supplies, manage the network, repair leaks and take targeted action where needed to protect water services. Water consumption and supply levels will continue to be monitored while the Order remains in place, and the Order may be lifted earlier if conditions improve, or extended if necessary, depending on weather conditions and the availability of water for distribution.

Tips to Conserve Water
⦿ Drop the hose: Use a rose-head watering can over a hose or sprinkler. Aim for the roots. Water plants early or late in the day to limit evaporation.
⦿ Take short showers instead of a bath: Reducing your shower time can save up to 10 litres of water per minute. A typical bath uses 80 litres.
⦿ Turn off the tap: Not running water while brushing your teeth or shaving can save up to six litres a minute. Keep a jug of water in the fridge for drinks.
⦿ Fill up your appliances: Only run your washing machine and dishwasher when they have a full load.
⦿ Fix dripping taps: A single dripping tap can waste between 5,000 and 10,000 litres of water a year.
⦿ Use a basin in the sink: Use a basin when rinsing vegetables or washing dishes and reuse that water for your plants.
⦿ Clean the car with a sponge: When washing your car, avoid the hose and use a bucket and sponge instead.
⦿ Install a water butt: Use it to collect rainwater from your gutters for gardening or washing the yard.
⦿ Pick plants wisely: Opt for low-water plants like lavender or olive trees. Established plants and lawns often don’t need watering unless there’s a drought.
⦿ Lock in moisture: Add bark or plant material to flower beds to prevent evaporation or use gel beads in pots to keep roots hydrated.

To help people learn more about saving water, Uisce Éireann has developed an easy-to-use Water Conservation Calculator so customers can work out how much water they are currently saving and how they can conserve even more. Customers can also sign up for free text alerts to receive updates about their local water supply. Members of the public can report leaks in the public water network 24/7 by contacting Uisce Éireann at 1800278278 or at Report a Leak here.

With Greystones, Bray, Newtown, Ashford and parts of Wicklow Town included, for the full list Greater Dublin Area locations, click here.