Essential overnight restrictions will be in place tonight to protect water supplies in Stranorlar, Ballybofey and the surrounding areas.
It comes with the arrival of the sunny weather causing a drop in reservoir levels.
Essential overnight water restrictions are being introduced for customers on the Lough Mourne Public Water Supply Scheme.
Uisce Éireann says the measures are necessary to allow reservoirs to recover and to protect daytime water supply during a period of increased demand.
Customers supplied by the main reservoir at Lough Mourne and Corradooey Reservoir, including areas across the Twin Towns, Crossroads, Convoy, Lifford, Raphoe and Rossgier, may experience low pressure or interruptions between 11pm and 8am starting tonight.
The restrictions will remain in place until reservoir levels improve.
Uisce Éireann says teams across Donegal are monitoring supplies and carrying out measures such as leakage detection and pressure management to maintain services.
The utility is also urging households to conserve water by doing the following:
- Leak free: Check that your home is leak free. Check for running overflows and fix any dripping taps, cisterns or pipes.
- Don’t let the tap run: Brushing your teeth with the tap running can use up to a staggering six litres per minute. Brushing your teeth with the tap off will use a more modest 1 litre of water.
- Shower vs. Bath: The average bath uses 80 litres of water, while a seven-minute shower uses just 49 litres. Switching to showers can save a significant amount of water.
- Drop the hose: Drop the hose during the summer months. Use a rose head watering can to water your plants, instead of a hose or sprinkler.
- Install a water butt: Use it to collect rainwater from your gutters for gardening or washing the yard.
- Fully loaded: Always ensure your dishwasher and washing machines are fully loaded. A modern washing machine uses approximately 65 litres of water per cycle while a dishwasher uses 20 litres. By ensuring they are fully loaded, not only will you conserve water, but you will also reduce your energy bills.
- Don’t flush it all away: A third of all water used in the home is flushed down the toilet. Some larger cisterns can continue to work effectively with a smaller flush. Place a displacement device into the cistern (out of the way of moving parts) to save water.
