THERE was good news for householders last week when it was confirmed that Water Conservation Orders had been lifted in affected counties, including Dublin, after a virtually rainless summer.
Well, it’s good news if you like the rain, I suppose, as we enter into another winter of weather warnings, colour-coded alerts and cancelled sports fixtures.
Following a meeting of the board of Irish Water, it was decided that the reduction in demand, availability of water resources and the prevailing weather conditions meant there was no longer a justification for the restrictions.
In fairness to Irish Water, they had adopted a more carrot than stick approach when it came to encouraging us to conserve water. And despite the lack of rain, the taps kept running for householders and businesses. A reduction in night time pressure caused minimal inconvenience and allowed us to enjoy the summer holidays to the max.
The hosepipe ban was largely adhered to, with the ever-present threat of being snitched on by your neighbours if you washed your car or watered the grass. In our house, a two-minute shower diktat was strictly enforced to such an extent that it has now become the norm.
Last week, Irish Water praised its operational teams on the ground and recognised the excellent conservation efforts made by homes and businesses across the country, which had prevented major outages to supplies in many communities.
In the Greater Dublin Area, there had been particular concerns about the levels in the Poulaphouca reservoir. However, the rate of decline has decreased significantly and Irish Water says the probability of an outage is now very low.
While a supply emergency has been averted, Irish Water insists it is essential that people continue to conserve water and has been encouraged by the efforts made over the past few months.
Hopefully, the experience this summer will have helped hammer home the conservation message and new habits will inform how we use water. It goes to prove that Irish people will rally in times of crisis and try to do the right thing for the greater good – and all without punitive water bills hanging over their heads.